April 12, 2017

North Korea nuclear threat hits home

It was overshadowed by US missile strikes on the Syrian Air Force, but there was another crisis brewing during President Donald Trump meeting last week with China's Xi Jinping.

Going into the discussions, Trump observed that North Korea would top his agenda, and for good reason. Pyongyang's twin pursuit of nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles has troubled successive US presidents over decades, and no administration has found a satisfactory response. Intelligence services now judge that Pyongyang will, likely within Trump's term in office, be able to place a nuclear warhead atop a ballistic missile that can reach the continental United States.

The notion of a reckless North Korean regime holding the United States at nuclear risk has galvanised new thinking in Washington. The threat has raised attention in Canberra as well. Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions were a major topic of discussion during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's recent meeting with Malcolm Turnbull.

Read the full article at the Australian Financial Review.

  • Podcast
    • June 20, 2025
    The U.S. and India–Pakistan Tensions with Lisa Curtis | The Ballpark Podcast

    To discuss the US’ part in brokering a ceasefire, and the US’ responses to disputes between India and Pakistan over the past three decades, in June 2025 the Phelan US Centre s...

    By Lisa Curtis

  • Reports
    • June 18, 2025
    Quad: The Next Phase

    Executive Summary The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) among the United States, Australia, India, and Japan is becoming the focal point for economic and technological co...

    By Lisa Curtis, Kareen Hart, Ryan Claffey, Keerthi Martyn & Thomas Corel

  • Commentary
    • War on the Rocks
    • June 18, 2025
    America’s Middle East Trap is China’s Strategic Windfall

    China’s approach to any escalation in the Middle East reflects its broader strategy of free-riding on U.S. security commitments....

    By Adham Sahloul

  • Video
    • June 13, 2025
    U.S.-Japan Relations Under the Trump Administration 2.0

    In this thought-provoking discussion, Richard Fontaine, CEO of CNAS and co-author of “Lost Decade”; and Ken Jimbo, president of Asia Pacific Initiative at the International Ho...

    By Richard Fontaine

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia