February 09, 2018
Maximum Pressure: A Clarifying Signal in the Noise of North Korea Policy
At the height of the Roman Empire two thousand years ago, the Stoic philosopher Seneca counseled that any quest for a fulfilling life should begin with a clear objective: “Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind.”4
Seneca may as well have been advising policymakers on dealing with North Korea. The objectives of Washington’s North Korea policy run the gamut from the plausible to the unthinkable.
In the main, the Trump administration’s national security team supports the goal of deterring the outbreak of major war, a bedrock of bipartisan national security policy for 65 years.5 Both the Obama and Trump administrations have engaged in various shows of force and enhanced military exercises to underscore deterrence and an ironclad alliance commitment. As America’s top officer in Korea has explained, the purpose of joint U.S.-South Korean exercises is to serve the overriding goal of maintaining “a credible deterrent.”6
Read the full article in The Texas National Security Review.
More from CNAS
-
Podcast
Indo-Pacific Security / Transatlantic Security
Why the U.S. Should Unlock Allied CooperationAmerica’s allies are cooperating in a growing variety of domains. In their recent Foreign Affairs piece, former NATO Ambassador Julie Smith and former National Security Counci...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Commentary
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
CNAS Insights | The Cost of Silence on China’s Cyber AggressionJust weeks before the much anticipated meeting between President Donald Trump and General Secretary Xi Jinping, the United States discovered yet another major China-backed cyb...
By Morgan Peirce
-
Seoul, Washington Formalize Nuclear Sub Talks; North Korea Contact Eyed via Condolence Diplomacy
Video
South Korea and the United States are deepening their military cooperation, with nuclear-powered submarines on the table and wartime operational control once again under discu...
By Dr. Go Myong-Hyun
-
Trump’s Week in Asia: Gifts, Deals, and Submarines
Commentary
This article was originally published on War on the Rocks. Trump’s trip generated several positive outcomes. He showed up, which matters disproportionately in far-flung Asia. ...
By Jacob Stokes
