According to North Korean official statements, the Korean Peninsula is tottering on the precipice of disaster — yet again. Having just attacked a South Korean island, killing two military personnel and two civilians, Pyongyang has reverted to its incendiary form by declaring that South Korea is driving it "to the brink of war." Such virulent threats would have more ferocity if they were not issued with such regularity. (more)

Patrick Cronin - Patrick Cronin is a Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Previously, he was the Director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) at National Defense University and has had a 25-year career inside government and academic research centers, spanning defense affairs, foreign policy, and development assistance.
Caspar Weinberger was known as ‘Cap the Knife’ because of his ability to hold down government spending before he became Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of Defense. Robert Gates may in the future leave the Pentagon with the moniker, ‘Bob the Belt-Tightener’ for his courage to champion responsible spending as Defense Secretary. And if Gates can successfully reallocate money to focus on military modernization priorities such as shipbuilding, he may well also be dubbed, ‘Bob the Builder.’ (more)
The new White House plan to “elevate development as a pillar of national security strategy, equal to diplomacy and defense” may spark the biggest political fight over development since Jesse Helms made the head of development report to the Secretary of State. The impending brawl may not be immediately obvious. After all, the Obama administration’s goal of boosting development resembles the ‘3-D’ triad of defense, diplomacy, and development crafted by the George W. Bush administration. But whereas the Bush administration sought to tightly circumscribe the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Obama administration seeks to restore USAID to its glory days of the 1960s. (more)
Thirty-one years after revolution brought about an Islamic Republic, Iran is on the threshold of acquiring a nuclear weapon capability—if it chooses to do so. Despite a kinder, gentler U.S. policy of engagement during the past year, there is no credible evidence that the current Iranian regime can be dissuaded from crossing that fateful point to possessing the bomb. (more)
President Barack Obama spent most of 2009 trying to restore American legitimacy, and his efforts were met with some success, especially among our European allies. However, it will take more than a good reputation to tackle the problems of 2010. In the coming year, President Obama will have to deal with a flagging economy, two major wars and myriad other smaller military engagements, and the ever-present global problems of nuclear proliferation and climate change. (more)

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