Joseph R. DeTrani
Columns by Joseph R. DeTrani
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
North Korea’s preemptive nuclear threat
It should be crystal clear: North Korea has nuclear weapons not only for defensive deterrence purposes but, according to Kim Jong-un, to respond to any perceived threat to North Korea and its leadership. Published May 4, 2022
Tension on the Korean Peninsula
North Korea is on a roll. Published March 28, 2022
China’s alignment with a revanchist Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin just doubled down, in defiance to NATO and the United States, and deployed troops and recognized Russia-backed separatists in the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, regions within Ukraine. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said Russia's recognition of the two territories in Ukraine "is a blatant violation of international law." Published February 22, 2022
