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Joseph R. DeTrani

Joseph R. DeTrani

Joseph R. DeTrani is a former Associate Director of National Intelligence and former member of the Senior Intelligence Service of the CIA. He served as special envoy for the Six-Party Talks with North Korea from 2003 to 2006 and as director of the National Counterproliferation Center. He regularly contributes columns to The Washington Times as part of the paper's Threat Status initiative.

Columns by Joseph R. DeTrani

Vote for democracy in Taiwan and not trust China illustration by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

A vote for democracy in Taiwan

The Democratic Progressive Party candidate, Lai Ching-te, won Taiwan's Jan. 13 presidential election with over 40% of the vote. Published January 23, 2024

U.S. engaging with North Korea to stop nuclear threat illustration by Linas Garsys / The Washington Times

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

In this image from video handout provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese Coast Guard ship, bottom, uses water cannon Philippine coast guard patrol ship, BRP Cabra, center, as it approaches Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday Dec. 10, 2023. The Chinese coast guard assaulted three Philippine vessels with water cannon blasts Sunday and rammed one of them, causing serious engine damage off a disputed shoal in the South China Sea just a day after similar hostilities at another shoal, the Philippine coast guard said. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

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

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, from left: Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Aziz, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan pose for a photo during their meeting in Tehran, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

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

An American flag placed along with a photo of the Twin Towers and the name Daniel P. Trant, a Cantor Fitzgerald bond trader that died during 9/11, before ceremonies to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York. (Anthony Behar, Pool Photo via AP)

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

Illustration on U.S. global leadership and democracy by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

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

A TV screen shows an image of North Korea's rocket launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on June 1, 2023. The United States and its allies clashed with Russia and China on Friday, June, 2, over North Korea’s failed launch of a military spy satellite this week in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, which Moscow and Beijing refused to condemn.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

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

FILE - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Monday, June 19, 2023. China on Wednesday, June 21, called comments by U.S. President Joe Biden referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a dictator “extremely absurd and irresponsible.” (Leah Millis/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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

This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says is a ballistic missile in North Pyongan Province, North Korea, on March 19, 2023. North Korea says its ballistic missile launch over the weekend simulated a nuclear attack against South Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

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

Cold War between America and China Illustration by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

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

Defusing North Korea Nuclear Tensions Illustration by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

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