The Challenge of Transforming US Forces in South Korea

11/07/2012
2012-11-07 By Richard Weitz The U.S-ROK military alliance has been the foundation of both countries’ strategic policies for over fifty years. The United States and South Korea signed a Mutual Defense Treaty in October 1953 following the 1950-53 Korean War, in which 33,600 American troops were killed and more than 100,000…

Ukrainian Security: Drifting Alone

11/06/2012
2012-11-06 by Richard Weitz Ukraine is not currently a full member of any of Eurasia’s strongest military blocs. It remains outside NATO, the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty, and the European Union. Ukraine has joined several weak security institutions, such as the co-founded the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the GUUAM (Georgia-Ukraine-Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan-Moldova),…

The Korean Nuclear Dynamic: Progress Not in Sight

11/06/2012
2012-11-06 by Richard Weitz The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is the only state to have withdrawn from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), unilaterally disabled IAEA containment and surveillance systems, and expelled IAEA inspectors from its territory in 1993. The United States then intervened and negotiated the 1994 Agreed Framework.…

Uzbekistan’s Military Reform and Partner Potential

11/05/2012
2012-11-05 by Richard Weitz Uzbekistan is commonly thought to have the most powerful and capable military and especially internal security forces of the five Central Asian countries. The London-based IISS 2012 Military Balance estimates Uzbekistan’s military and security forces to be around 67,000 people, with 50,000 in the Army and…

Pyongyang as a Challenge for the Next Administration: Nuclear Weapons are Becoming a More Important Part of the Landscape

11/03/2012
2012-11-03 by Richard Weitz All U.S. administrations have refused to accept North Korea as a legitimate nuclear weapons state. In addition to wanting to avert a dangerous threat to the U.S. military forces and civilians located in East Asia as well as Washington’s regional allies, U.S. policy makers worry that…

The Delicate Dance: Uzbekistan and NATO

11/03/2012
2012-11-03 by Richard Weitz Uzbekistan has sought to balance Russia’s military preeminence and China’s emerging economic dominance of Central Asia by cultivating ties with Western countries and institutions such as NATO. The Alliance had developed some contacts with Uzbekistan and the other Central Asian republics before sending troops to Afghanistan…

US-Uzbek Ties: Preparing for the Withdrawal from Afghanistan

11/02/2012
2012-11-02 by Richard Weitz American policy toward Uzbekistan are driven by support for Afghan operations as well as energy policy. The main U.S. objectives in Uzbekistan and Central Asia are the following: Promoting these countries’ security against terrorist threats, Supporting the war in Afghanistan, Ensuring their sovereignty and autonomy from the…