December 13, 2016
4 Ways Trump Can Avoid a North Korea Disaster
The impeachment of President Park Geun-hye plunges South Korea deeper into political turmoil. Anticipating another North Korean provocation, Defense Minister Han Min-koo called on Thursday for heightened vigilance among the Republic of Korea (ROK) armed forces. But it will be left largely to incoming U.S. President Donald Trump to steer us through the looming mayhem.
The South Korean National Assembly voted 234-56 on Friday to impeach Park for her corruption scandal. With roughly half of the ruling Saenuri Party members defecting to join opposition forces in favor of impeachment, it’s now up to a Constitutional Court to validate the vote and either pave the way for early elections or restore Park’s powers.
In the midst of Korea’s abrupt and potentially sharp political transition (the leading presidential candidate, left-leaning Moon Jae-in, promises to undo some of Park’s recent security policy decisions, including on missile defense and intelligence cooperation with Japan), the United States will make a critical political transition of its own on January 20, when Barack Obama hands over the keys to the White House to Donald Trump.
Read the full piece at The Diplomat.
More from CNAS
-
N. Korea Hardens Nuclear Stance at UN, Hints at Selective Diplomacy
Video
Seven years after disappearing from the UN’s main stage, North Korea returned — and made sure the world listened. Vice Minister Kim Son-kyong stood before the General Assembly...
By Dr. Go Myong-Hyun
-
USSC Briefing Room | The Prognosis for the Quad and Other U.S. Alliances in the Indo-Pacific
Podcast
In conversation with the United States Studies Centre, Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the Center for a New American Security, Lisa Curtis discussed the Quad and the f...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Afghanistan: Why Does Trump Want to Retake Bagram Air Base?
Video
Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and program director at the Center for a New American Security joined Deutsche Welle to discuss President Trump's comments on the U.S. regaining con...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Video
Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security
Trump Unfriends Modi's India: Trump Frothing, India CalmFrom tariffs to tantrums-Trump's latest anti-India tirade stirs global concern. As Washington watches in disbelief, Shiv Aroor discusses what this "break-up" means for India-U...
By Daniel Silverberg
