February 22, 2015
Putin and the Hermit Kingdom
If the rumors are true, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia in May during a commemoration of World War II in Moscow. Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora also recently confirmedthat “Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin exchange messages on a regular basis.” On the surface it seems that a revitalized Russian–North Korean alliance could be in the offing. Observing this trend, many strategists have argued that Russia’s interests in North Korea are overwhelmingly economic, including a transcontinental railroad and gas pipeline that would run through the nation. But Russia’s dalliance with North Korea also fits a geopolitical pattern reminiscent of the Cold War’s early days: Great power competition with the United States drives Russia’s North Korea strategy, and diplomatic niceties between these former communist allies disguise Russia’s true motivations.
Read the full article atForeign Affairs.
More from CNAS
-
France and European Security with Dr. Alice Pannier
Podcast
Dr. Alice Pannier, Assistant Professor of International Relations and European Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, joins Dr. Andrea Kendall-Tayl...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Dr. Alice Pannier
-
Trump’s Defense Cuts in Europe Will Backfire
Commentary
Twice this month, the Trump administration moved to walk back critical efforts to strengthen the U.S. military presence in Europe, choosing cheap political points over essenti...
By Jim Townsend
-
Russia’s Middle East Power Play
Commentary
Turkey flouted months of American warnings this summer and took delivery of the Russian-made S-400 air-defense system — triggering Ankara’s expulsion from the F-35 stealth-fig...
By Vance Serchuk
-
Great-Power Competition Is Washington’s Top Priority—But Not the Public’s
Commentary
For all the acrimony in Washington today, the city’s foreign policy establishment is settling on a rare bipartisan consensus: that the world has entered a new era of great-pow...
By Richard Fontaine
