Is Kim Jong Un Ready to Talk to Donald Trump?
North Korea poses a growing threat to the U.S. and neighboring countries. But there may be room for negotiation.
On this week’s second episode of The E.R., Ben Pauker, Kori Schake, Jeffrey Lewis, and Joel Wit sit down to decipher the latest on North Korea. Pyongyang has been in the headlines in recent days with the release of Otto Warmbier, the University of Virginia student held captive there for over a year, and the puzzling visit by former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman. Meanwhile, President Trump is boasting of America’s military assets in the region. Is this the prelude to conflict, or dialogue, between Washington and Pyongyang?
On this week’s second episode of The E.R., Ben Pauker, Kori Schake, Jeffrey Lewis, and Joel Wit sit down to decipher the latest on North Korea. Pyongyang has been in the headlines in recent days with the release of Otto Warmbier, the University of Virginia student held captive there for over a year, and the puzzling visit by former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman. Meanwhile, President Trump is boasting of America’s military assets in the region. Is this the prelude to conflict, or dialogue, between Washington and Pyongyang?
The group discusses the regime’s nuclear program, capabilities, and threats. Missile testing has ramped up recently, and it is unclear how the North Koreans plan to use these weapons, and how far they can reach. Should Americans be worried of an imminent threat? Not so fast, argues the panel.
Jeffrey Lewis is an FP columnist, the founding publisher of ArmsControlWonk.com, and the host of the Arms Control Wonk podcast. He is also the Director of the East Asia Nonproliferation program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Follow him on Twitter: @ArmsControlWonk.
Joel Wit is a Senior Fellow at the US-Korea Institute at SAIS and a Senior Research Fellow at Columbia University’s Weatherhead Institute for East Asian Studies. He is also the founder of 38North, a platform with focus on North Korea analysis.
Kori Schake is an FP columnist and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution where she focuses on military history. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Safe Passage: The Transition from British to American Hegemony, which will be released in November. Follow her on Twitter: @KoriSchake.
Ben Pauker is FP’s executive editor for the web. Follow him on Twitter: @benpauker.
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