Joseph R. DeTrani
Columns by Joseph R. DeTrani
The North Korean existential nuclear threat
On Dec. 18, North Korea successfully launched a solid fuel, road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile that was assessed to travel over 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), capable of targeting the entire U.S. Published January 4, 2024
Preventing conflict in the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula
At a Track 2 conference (former officials and academics) with China on U.S.-China relations, convened after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, conference in San Francisco, one of the subjects discussed was the need to avoid military confrontation. Published December 21, 2023
Restoring trust in U.S.-China relations
The Biden-Xi summit earlier this month was a step in the right direction. But it was only a step. Published November 29, 2023
A nuclear-free North Korea requires U.S.-China cooperation
This year is the 20th anniversary of the Six-Party Talks, established in 2003 to resolve the nuclear issue with North Korea. Published November 8, 2023
Dealing with an emboldened Iran
The terrorist attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis and foreigners and injured thousands, with over 200 hostages, was aided by a complicit Iran that provided training, funding and support to Hamas. Published October 23, 2023
Reflecting on the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korea alliance
This month marks the 70th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the U.S. and South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, signed Oct. 1, 1953. Published October 10, 2023
Remembering September 11, 2001
We will never forget the 2,983 men, women and children killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 -- or the Feb. 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center. Published September 11, 2023
Autocracy or democracy: Let the people decide
The Camp David Summit of the U.S., South Korea and Japan was emblematic of an alliance that showed that democracies with the rule of law are responsive to the people and will unite to defeat a threatening adversary. Published September 7, 2023
China should play larger role in getting North Korea to scrap nuclear program
In Track 2 discussions with the Chinese, when North Korea is discussed, the 2003-2009 Six-Party Talks are cited by the Chinese participants as a model for resolving the nuclear issue with North Korea. Published August 15, 2023
Instability in Northeast Asia
It should be obvious that North Korea's recent launch of three intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2023 is a message not only to the U.S. but also to China and the rest of the region. Published July 15, 2023
A less confrontational China
Chinese President Xi Jinping's decision to meet with visiting Secretary of State Antony Blinken was a wise decision. It conveyed to the world that China wants stability in its relationship with the U.S., concerned that Sino-U.S. tension could and would affect global stability. Published June 25, 2023
Nuclear-armed North Korea threatens all nations
The joint statement of the Xi Jinping-Vladimir Putin summit expressed concern about the situation on the Korean Peninsula. That was an understatement. North Korea's nuclear and missile programs are a threat to the region and the world. And China and Russia are doing nothing to address this nuclear threat. Published April 3, 2023
We’ve entered a new Cold War with China
Although bilateral trade with China in 2022 increased to a record $690.6 billion, bilateral relations deteriorated to their lowest level since the normalization of relations in 1979. Published March 7, 2023
U.S. has failed to halt North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush ordered the withdrawal of all U.S.-based tactical nuclear weapons from South Korea. Published February 2, 2023
Defuse the current impasse with North Korea
The current unprecedented escalation of tension with North Korea could result in planned or accidental conflict on the Korean Peninsula, involving conventional and possibly tactical nuclear weapons. Published October 19, 2022
Iranian protesters deserve the support of all countries, especially the U.S.
The death of Masha Amini, the 22-year-old lawyer who died in the custody of the morality police, has sparked an outcry from tens of thousands of Iranians. Published October 6, 2022
A more confident and desperate North Korea
On Sept. 9 Kim Jong-un made it officially clear that North Korea will remain a nuclear weapons state with an expansive nuclear doctrine that includes the preemptive use of nuclear weapons. Published September 14, 2022
Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
South Korea's new president, Yoon Suk Yeol, in his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, reminded the world that "denuclearization of North Korea is essential for sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia and around the world." Published August 22, 2022
U.S.-South Korea relations and a strategy for the Indo-Pacific region
The crucible of the Korean War forged the close allied relationship between the United States and South Korea. Published July 6, 2022
The potential instability of a COVID-19 ravaged North Korea
From 1994 to 1998, between 1 and 3 million North Koreans reportedly died due to starvation, during a period known as the "arduous march." Published May 18, 2022
