The North Korean Threat with David Maxwell

Kellogg's Global Politics

On this episode, Anita speaks with David Maxwell, a retired US Army Special Forces Colonel, a Senior Advisor to the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, and a Senior Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation. We talk about the various ways North Korea presents a national security threat to the United States that goes beyond its nuclear weapons program. We also discuss resetting the goal to place unification with South Korea first led by an informational warfare campaign and then denuclearization rather than the current policy of denuclearization before unification. Dave warns that the U.S. and our partners need to be prepared for a period of violent instability if the Kim regime loses its iron grip on North Korean leadership.

We begin the show by marking the one-year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. We discuss the remarkable unity of the West, while the rest of the world has largely opted for neutrality—of which many of these countries are helping Russia’s economy survive. We look at the historical reasons the West has less influence on the Global South than it often presumes. Finally, we cover China’s 12-point plan for peace and whether China or India might have a role as neutral arbiters of peace.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• [03:40] Russia-Ukraine 1-year Later: Global South is Not on Board
• [27:25] China’s Peace Plan: Self-serving Ploy or Useful Framework?
• [36:15] Talking North Korea with David Maxwell

Articles and Resources Mentioned in Episode

Russia-Ukraine 1-year Later: Global South is Not on Board

• A global divide on the Ukraine war is deepening (WaPo)
• The West Tried to Isolate Russia. It Didn’t Work. (NY Times)

China’s Peace Plan: Self-serving Ploy or Useful Framework?

• China calls for a cease-fire and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine (NPR)
• RAND’s Derek Grossman’s tweet on India as Russia-Ukraine peacemaker (Twitter)
• Zelenskyy open to considering some parts of Beijing’s proposals to end Ukraine war (Politico)

Interview with David Maxwell

• Foundation for Defense of Democracies
• Foreign Policy Research Institute
• Twitter (@DavidMaxwell161)
• War on the Rocks

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Chapters

1. The North Korean Threat with David Maxwell (00:00:00)

2. Russia-Ukraine War (00:03:40)

3. China's Peace Plan (00:27:25)

4. North Korea with David Maxwell (00:36:15)