The Trump-Kim Summit: The View from Seoul

The prospective Donald Trump-Kim Jong-un summit has caused the Western media to focus primarily on Kim's decision to initiate contact and Trump’s agreement to meet. South Korean President Moon Jae-in's role in organizing and advocating for the summit has been largely ignored.

Improving Israeli Military Strategy Through Avant Garde Analysis

In strategic studies, just as in art, music, or literature, avant garde means an imaginative willingness to take conceptual leaps. There are several ways in which Israeli strategic studies could benefit from the creativity of an explicitly avant garde orientation.

The Nascent Russia-Lebanon Alliance and Israel

Though Russia has been gradually increasing its economic and military influence in Lebanon, it is unlikely that Moscow is prepared to irreparably compromise its relations with Israel. Russia faces competition from other actors in Syria, and good relations with Israel can serve its interests there.

Turkey’s Syrian Battleground

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been the main beneficiary of a newfound feeling of glory among Turkey’s increasingly nationalistic masses. The main loser is the YGP, which has sought to consolidate control over Kurdish areas of Syria in the hopes of forging an autonomous state. But in the Syrian war theater, alliances are fragile and complex. Russia has given Turkey a limited free hand in its engagement in northern Syria, mainly in order to deepen Turkish-US and Turkish-NATO divisions. But Russia is not Turkey’s strategic ally.

The Strategic Implications of Effective Population Defense Against Ballistic Missiles

Israel was the clear victor in the 2014 Gaza War. That Israel's war aims were achieved by a defensive rather than offensive strategy does not diminish the magnitude of its success.

Macron’s Proactive Position on Iran: Dialogue vs. Sanctions

Emmanuel Macron, France’s charismatic new leader, has adopted a proactive approach towards Iran that combines a moderate attitude with Sarkozy’s hard line. On the one hand, he supports the strict preservation of the 2015 nuclear agreement and opposes Trump’s ”fix or annul” view of the deal. He also supports tightened bilateral relations with Tehran. On the other hand, he has adopted a hard line, demanding the establishment of an international mechanism of inspection and sanctions on the Iranian ballistic missile program as well as a restriction on its destabilizing involvement in the region. Macron's demands have started a war of words between Paris and Tehran that has the potential to escalate.

The Middle East’s Nuclear Technology Clock Is Ticking

The Middle East’s nuclear technology clock is ticking as nations in the region pursue peaceful capabilities that could leave the door open to military options in the future.

The Trump-Kim Jong-un Summit: Nuclear Disarmament for Regime Survival?

Kim Jong-un’s invitation to US President Donald Trump to hold a summit was a big surprise, as was Trump’s immediate acceptance. While the road to a nuclear agreement will be difficult because of two decades of North Korean violations of understandings and agreements, the summit could nevertheless have dramatic ramifications for world and regional politics.

How the IDF Is Training for War in Gaza

Military drills simulate what the Israel Defense Forces will face in a new kind of ground combat in Gaza – a kind that will inevitably involve civilians amid general chaos.

Is Japan Considering Joining the Nuclear Arms Race?

In 2017, Pyongyang's nuclear threat turned real, and the countries of East Asia – mainly Japan – and the US could be targets. Japan now faces a dilemma over how to deal with the threat: should it count on the US nuclear umbrella, or should it build up an independent military nuclear capability of its own?

Perspectives Papers