When we think about the threat posed by North Korea, we tend to narrowly talk about the missiles and nuclear weapons that are inside North Korea. But North Korea is also a prolific international arms dealer - it is largely responsible for the missile programs in Iran and Pakistan, not to mention small arms proliferation in sub-Saharan Africa.
Despite this, other than the occasional news stories about a boat load of North Korean guns in the Caribbean and gas masks that were heading to Syria being intercepted on the high seas, media coverage of North Korea’s arms sales abroad has been scant. And when public attention comes short, it runs the risk of getting left behind in diplomatic negotiations.
Here to give us a better sense of what is going on, our guest today is Dr. Bruce Bechtol, author of “North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa: Enabling Violence and Instability” (Amazon page link here). We discuss how Pyongyang’s global arms sales activities have implications for both the effectiveness of our sanctions policy towards North Korea and Pyongyang’s ability to make its own weapons program more deadly.
Korean American Day 2016: Chef Rachel Yang
[Rebroadcast] The Cleanest Race: An Interview with Author B.R. Myers
Look Back, Look Forward: Predictions for the Korean Peninsula
North Korea's House of Cards: Understanding the Kim Jong Un Regime
Korean American Day 2015: NHL Star Jim Paek
Korean American Day 2015: Olympic Skier Toby Dawson
Examining the Korean Economy
Talk to Us in Korean: The Mavericks of Teaching Korean Online
The Kim Monarchy: Reframing Political Legitimacy in North Korea
From K-pop to Kimchi: The Korean Cultural Center Brings Hallyu to DC
A Tale of Courage from the "Forgotten War"
The Human Rights of Korean Family Reunions
Presidential Summits: A Diplomat's Perspective
Friends of Korea: Witnessing Korea's Transformation
Setting an Example: The German Case as a Model for Korean Reunification
20 Years Combatting Tuberculosis in North Korea
Prospects for "Vitalizing" NGO Work in North Korea
Seismology and Mt. Baekdu: Science Diplomacy in North Korea
Looking Back on Four Years of U.S.-Korea Relations
Chinese PLA Media Commentaries on North Korea: Going Rogue or Staying on Script?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free