News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. North Korea harasses defectors with calls, texts: ‘are you having fun these days?’

2. VOA Washington talk combined training and OPCON transition

3. S. Korea, U.S. to stage joint summertime exercise this week: JCS

4. Liberation Day demonstrations take place amid sharp upturn in COVID-19 infections

5. Full text of President Moon Jae-in's speech on Korea's 75th Liberation Day

6. Thousands rally against South Korea leader despite virus warning

7. New sanctions spotlight North Korea’s harrowing Soviet-style gulags

8. North Korea's leader is tapping his own private food reserve to feed the country, and it could be a worrying sign

9. Could a President Joe Biden face a 'triple' North Korea crisis?

10. South Korea: new virus cases soar to 279

11. Seoul should not give up alliance with Washington in US-China spat: Nye

12. South Korea warns of new mass infection after church flareup

1. North Korea Harasses Defectors With Calls, Texts: ‘Are You Having Fun These Days?’

Wall Street Journal · by Andrew Jeong · August 15, 2020

This is more than troubling. South Korea has a moral responsibility to protect these brave escapees. 

2. VOA Washington talk combined training and OPCON transition

YouTube · by VOA · August 15, 2020

Kim Young-gyo hosted Scott Snyder and me to talk about this week's training and OPCON transition.

Recorded Friday and released online Saturday. The target audience is the elite in Pyongyang, which I think will explain some of my specific remarks as messages.

 (in English with Korean subtitles)

3. S. Korea, U.S. to stage joint summertime exercise this week: JCS

Yonhap News Agency · by graceoh@yna.co.kr · August 16, 2020

Important concluding statement from Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo.

4. Liberation Day demonstrations take place amid sharp upturn in COVID-19 infections

Yonhap News Agency · by yonngong@yna.co.kr · August 15, 2020

These are anti-government demonstrations. The photo seems to show substantial crowds.

5. Full text of President Moon Jae-in's speech on Korea's 75th Liberation Day

Yonhap News Agency · August 15, 2020

6. Thousands rally against South Korea leader despite virus warning

Stars & Stripes · by AP · August 15, 2020

7. New sanctions spotlight North Korea’s harrowing Soviet-style gulags

New York Post · by Dana Kennedy · August 15, 2020

Good interviews with former prisoners to help us understand the truly evil nature of the regime.

8. North Korea's leader is tapping his own private food reserve to feed the country, and it could be a worrying sign

Business Insider · by David Choi · August 15, 2020

We should have no doubt how severe the situation is in the North. This is a very important assessment from Thae Yong-ho

9. Could a President Joe Biden face a 'triple' North Korea crisis?

National Interest · by Peter Jennings · August 14, 2020

An Australian perspective: unsure dynastic succession, a viral outbreak, and escalating nuclear confrontation.

 A bipartisan group of advisers, affirm the ROK/US alliance, and take a coalition approach. Although he says Obama and Trump have failed, he does not advocate lifting sanctions and making concessions (though I fear that might be what he wants the bipartisan advisers to recommend).

10. South Korea: New virus cases soar to 279

Yonhap News Agency · by kyonae.choi@yna.co.kr · August 16, 2020

11. Seoul should not give up alliance with Washington in US-China spat: Nye

Korea Herald · by Ahn Sung-mi · August 13, 2020

Joe Nye describes the "shrimp among whales."  But I think Nye's thesis that the US and China should be "cooperative rivals" is a fantasy. I think in the past year China has revealed its true colors.

12. South Korea warns of new mass infection after church flareup

Bloomberg · by Heesu Lee · August 16, 2020

"So, let me state this clearly: From where I sit, I see US foreign policy-makers inadvertently committing political warfare against themselves in a gray zone of their own making."

- Anonymous

"My favorite is when you go to Afghanistan and you meet the special forces guys, and they look like these heavily armed surfers. These guys are the best. You see guys dressed as full Afghans, but then wearing a Yankees hat.”

- Robin Williams

German GO at the Global SOF Conference: "There is no such thing as hybrid war, just reasonably good campaign design"

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. Today is National Airborne Day! (August 16)

2. Heads roll: sweeping staff changes made at VOA after pro-Biden ad released, hiring foreign workers

3. Mike Pence: Trump's loyal trooper

4. Pro-Pence Voice of America tweet sparks anger: 'state propaganda?'

5. Purge of senior officials at foreign broadcast agency stirs fear and outrage

6, Can Northeast Asia shake off shackles of the past?

7. Trump says he is considering pardon for leaker Edward Snowden

8. What do you tell young Americans doubting the military’s moral compass?

9. The Atomwaffen Division: the evolution of the white supremacy threat

10. Dozens of serving and ex special forces have brain injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan

11. Finland has a plan for Russia’s little green men

12. Young officers must be 'unconventional' in 'cyber and space' warfare

13. Japan’s been proudly pacifist for 75 years. A missile proposal challenges that.

14. How the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd protests could give rise to terrorism

15. Why protests threaten dictatorships but make democracies stronger

16. Chinese President Xi Jinping says Marxist political economy is the bedrock for nation’s growth

17. VJ Day: Culdrose chaplain’s POW granddad carried mental scars for the rest of his life

18. National Airborne Day - August 16, 2020

1. Today is National Airborne Day! (August 16)

Today is National Airborne Day!

The history of airborne forces began after WWI, when Brigadier General William Mitchell first conceived the idea of parachuting troops into combat. Eventually, under the leadership of Major William Lee at Ft Benning, Georgia, members of the Parachute Test Platoon pioneered methods of combat jumping in 1940. In November 1942, members of the 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, conducted America’s first combat jump, leaping from a C-47 aircraft behind enemy lines in North Africa. This strategy revolutionized combat and established airborne forces as a key component of our military.

During WWII, airborne tactics were critical to the success of important missions, including the D-Day invasion at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, the invasion of Southern France, and many others. In Korea and Vietnam, airborne soldiers played a critical combat role, as well as in later conflicts and peacekeeping operations, including Panama, Grenada, Desert Storm, Haiti, Somalia, and the Balkans. Most recently, airborne forces were vital to liberating the people of Afghanistan from the repressive and violent Taliban regime; and these soldiers continue to serve proudly around the world in the global coalition against terrorism.

The elite airborne ranks include prestigious groups such as the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, “Sky Soldiers,” 82nd Airborne Division, “All American,” and the “Screaming Eagles” of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Airborne forces have also been represented in the former 11th, 13th, and 17th Airborne Divisions and numerous other Airborne, glider and air assault units and regiments. Paratroopers in the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, the 75th Infantry (Ranger) Regiment and other Special Forces units conduct swift and effective operations in defense of peace and freedom.

Airborne combat continues to be driven by the bravery and daring spirit of sky soldiers. Often called into action with little notice, these forces have earned an enduring reputation for dedication, excellence, and honor. As we face the challenges of a new era, I encourage all people to recognize the contributions of these courageous soldiers to our Nation and the world.

Now, therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 16, 2002, as National Airborne Day. As we commemorate the first official Army parachute jump on August 16, 1940, I encourage all Americans to join me in honoring the thousands of soldiers, past and present, who have served in an airborne capacity. I call upon all citizens to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

George W. Bush

2. Heads roll: sweeping staff changes made at VOA after pro-Biden ad released, hiring foreign workers

Hot Air · by Karen Townsend · August 13, 2020

Another article to damage VOA and it is articles like this that will cause the baby to be thrown out with the bathwater. I fear for the damage that will be done to VOA and RFA.

3. Mike Pence: Trump's loyal trooper

VOA · by Ken Bredemeier · August 13, 2020.

Here is a VOA article about VP Pence.

4. Pro-Pence Voice of America tweet sparks anger: 'state propaganda?'

The Wrap · by Lindsey Ellefson · August 12, 2020

Another view of VOA. It was more than a tweet.

5. Purge of senior officials at foreign broadcast agency stirs fear and outrage

NPR · by David Welna · August 15, 2020

And another view of USAGM.

6. Can Northeast Asia shake off shackles of the past?

Press Herald · by Foster Klug · August 15, 2020

I think not.

I think Daniel Sneider explains this well in acknowledging the inter-linkages between identity, education, popular culture as well as perceptions of oppression and victimization.

7. Trump says he is considering pardon for leaker Edward Snowden

Reuters · by Raphael Satter · August 15, 2020

I cannot believe anyone on the President 's national security team would support this. I hope they can talk him out of this. Snowden has done tremendous damage to our country.

8. What do you tell young Americans doubting the military’s moral compass?

Defense One · by Scott Cooper & Paul Lewis · August 15, 2020

As the cliché goes, the military is a microcosm of society. Whether a civilian or military member or a civilian or military institution, the closing advice from these authors holds true.

9. The Atomwaffen Division: the evolution of the white supremacy threat

The Soufan Center · by Jason Blazakis et al. · August, 2020

The 33 page report can be downloaded here.

10. Dozens of serving and ex special forces have brain injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan

Mirror · by Sean Rayment · August 15, 2020

We should be pooling allied data on these injuries.

11. Finland has a plan for Russia’s little green men

Foreign Policy · by Robin Häggblom · August 15, 2020

This has been previously reported but it is worth considering FInland's unique plans.

12. Young officers must be 'unconventional' in 'cyber and space' warfare

Daily Mail · by Lizzie Deane · August 15, 2020

A UK perspective.

13. Japan’s been proudly pacifist for 75 years. A missile proposal challenges that.

New York Times · by Motoko Rich · August 16, 2020

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I think it will be some time before they work thorough the political issues and actually procure missiles. Meanwhile without Aegis ashore and other defensive measures, Japan will remain vulnerable.

14. How the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd protests could give rise to terrorism

NBC News · by Brian Michael Jenkins · August 16, 2020

From one of our preeminent terrorism scholars. We should think deeply about this article.

15. Why protests threaten dictatorships but make democracies stronger

Foreign Policy · by Sheri Berman · August 16, 2020

But there are many in the US today who do not believe or accept this and will say this theory is rubbish (as our cousins across the pond would say).

16. Chinese President Xi Jinping says Marxist political economy is the bedrock for nation’s growth

South China Morning Post · by Karen Yeung · August 16, 2020

There you have it.

17. VJ Day: Culdrose chaplain’s POW granddad carried mental scars for the rest of his life

Cornwall Live · by Graeme Wilkinson · August 15, 2020

18. National Airborne Day - August 16, 2020

SOF News · by SOF News · August 16, 2020

Just in case you forgot today is National Airborne Day.

"So, let me state this clearly: From where I sit, I see US foreign policy-makers inadvertently committing political warfare against themselves in a gray zone of their own making."

- Anonymous

"My favorite is when you go to Afghanistan and you meet the special forces guys, and they look like these heavily armed surfers. These guys are the best. You see guys dressed as full Afghans, but then wearing a Yankees hat.”

- Robin Williams

German GO at the Global SOF Conference: "There is no such thing as hybrid war, just reasonably good campaign design"

Negotiations with Criminal Groups in Latin America and the Caribbean

A new discussion paper from the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) looks at negotiating with criminal groups in Latin America and the Caribbean. Small Wars Journal – El Centro Fellow Vanda Felbab-Brown is principal author of the work.  "Bargaining with the Devil to Avoid Hell?" details eight case studies: 1) Colombia – Pablo Escobar and the Extraditables; 2) Colombia – Gulf Clan Negotiations; 3) El Salvador – Gang Truce; 4) Honduras – Gang Truce; 5) Haiti – Bargaining with Gangs; 6) Mexico – Territorial Access ; 7) Brazil – Gang Violence in Prisons; 8) Mexico – Territorial Access. It is part of a broader effort to examine negotiations with unconventional armed actors including mafias, gangs networks, and drug cartels. 

Read the Full Report or Read the Summary.

Source: Vanda Felbab-Brown, "Bargaining with the Devil to Avoid Hell: A Discussion paper on Negotiations with Criminal Groups in Latin America and the Caribbean." Barcelona: Institute for Integrated Negotiations (IFIT). July 2020, https://www.ifit-transitions.org/publications/major-publications-briefings/bargaining-with-the-devil-to-avoid-hell/bargaining-with-the-devil-to-avoid-hell-a-discussion-paper-on-negotiations-with-crminal-groups-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean.pdf.

"THE MADURO REGIME’S ILLICIT ACTIVITIES: A Threat to Democracy in Venezuela and Security in Latin America."

The Atlantic Council has released a report on Venezuela's joint criminal enterprise and its threat to regional security.  The report written by Small Wars Journal – El Centro Fellow Douglas Farah is entitled "THE MADURO REGIME’S ILLICIT ACTIVITIES: A Threat to Democracy in Venezuela and Security in Latin America."

The report issued by the Atlantic Councl's Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center examines the Joint Criminal Enterprise inherited by the Maduro regime, the links between the regime's illicit networks and Colombian guerrillas, and the regime's reach and money laundering activities in Europe.

Source: Douglas Farah, "THE MADURO REGIME’S ILLICIT ACTIVITIES: A Threat to Democracy in Venezuela and Security in Latin America." Washington, DC: Atlantic Council. August 2020, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/The-Maduro-Regime-Illicit-Activities-A-Threat-to-Democracy-in-Venezuela-and-Security-in-Latin-America-Final.pdf.

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. ‘No lines on the battlefield’: Pentagon’s new war-fighting concept takes shape

2. Taiwan to boost ‘invasion’ defenses with US weapons

3. Pentagon creates UFO task force to see if aerial objects pose threat

4. The plan that could give us our lives back

5. Federal appeals court rules male-only draft constitutional

6. Who decides who is a ‘domestic enemy’?

7. The Pentagon’s AI factory gets a powerful new tool

8. A plan to turn military bases into ‘sandboxes’ for 5G

9. Rightsizing the Afghanistan mission

10. An arms race is brewing in orbit

11. Public toilet erected on former site of razed Xinjiang village mosque

12. American passports are useless now

13. Trump: ‘A lot of people’ think Edward Snowden ‘not being treated fairly’

14. As relations with U.S. sink, China tones down ‘hotheaded’ nationalism

15. Sexual violence rampant and expanding in armed conflicts, UN

16. 'Deep remorse': Japanese emperor marks 75th anniversary of surrender

1. ‘No lines on the battlefield’: Pentagon’s new war-fighting concept takes shape

Defense News · by Aaron Mehta · August 14, 2020

2. Taiwan to boost ‘invasion’ defenses with US weapons

Asia Times · by Dave Makichuk · August 14, 2020

An asymmetric approach is definitely required for Taiwan's defense.

3. Pentagon creates UFO task force to see if aerial objects pose threat

Military Times · by Howard Altman & J.D. Simkins · August 14, 2020

I wonder how many people will be volunteering for this task force.

4. The plan that could give us our lives back

Defense One · by Robinson Meyer & Alexis C. Madrigal · August 14, 2020

There is no technical obstacle to the authors’ vision. There is only a dearth of political will.

5. Federal appeals court rules male-only draft constitutional

The Hill · by Rebecca Kheel · August 13, 2020

I wonder if this will go to the Supreme Court. And I wonder how it will rule.

6. Who decides who is a ‘domestic enemy’?

Defense One · by James Joyner · August 13, 2020

Another contribution to the Yingling-Nagl brothers and Schake-Golby debate.

7. The Pentagon’s AI factory gets a powerful new tool

Defense One · by Patrick Tucker · August 14, 2020

I would think this change would be game changing for DOD and especially its intelligence components. This development begs the question: will this be common throughout the intelligence community (I ask that rhetorically as I think we can guess the answer)?

8. A plan to turn military bases into ‘sandboxes’ for 5G

Wired · by Will Knight · August 13, 2020

I asked myself, what is a "sandbox" (in terms of 5G)?  I learned from the article that it means for experimentation.

9. Rightsizing the Afghanistan mission

Brookings · by Michael E. O'Hanlon · August 13, 2020

Just as an aside: we will never "right size" the mission if our sole metric is the topline troop number. Of course because of politics and ease of understanding the topline number will always be the driver and will always trump strategy.

10. An arms race is brewing in orbit

Economist · August 15, 2020

You have to dominate the ultimate "high ground." Two questions: who does? And how do you enforce the law in space?

11. Public toilet erected on former site of razed Xinjiang village mosque

Radio Free Asia · by Joshua Lipes · August 15, 2020

Stay classy, China. If we did not have RFA and VOA reporting on this type of activity, we would probably not learn of this.

12. American passports are useless now

The Atlantic · by Yascha Mounk · August 14, 2020

Sigh.....

13. Trump: ‘A lot of people’ think Edward Snowden ‘not being treated fairly’

New York Post · by Steven Nelson & Ebony Bowden · August 13, 2020

I do not think Edward Snowden treated US national security "fairly." He needs to be extradited to the US to stand trial for his crimes against the US (in a fair and just trial, of course).

14. As relations with U.S. sink, China tones down ‘hotheaded’ nationalism

New York Times · by Javier C. Hernandez · August 15, 2020

We should start including "hothead nationalism" in commentary. I wonder how it would go if used in negotiations. But is China really dialing down its belligerence? And even it appears to be doing so, we should not forget what Sun Tzu said: "all warfare is based on deception." And nowhere is that more true than with political warfare (or China's "three warfares" - psychological warfare, legal warfare or lawfare, and media or public opinion warfare).

15. Sexual violence rampant and expanding in armed conflicts, UN

Info Migrants · by Aasim Saleem · August 6, 2020

This is so tragic.

16. 'Deep remorse': Japanese emperor marks 75th anniversary of surrender

The Guardian · by Agencies · August 15, 2020

"It is the nature of every person to error, but only the fool perseveres in error."

- Marcus Tullius Cicero

“We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace.

- St. Augustine

“Without a word this uniform also whispers of freezing troops, injured bodies, and Americans left forever in foreign fields. It documents every serviceman’s courage, who by accepting this uniform, promises the one gift he truly has to give: his life. I wear my uniform for the heritage of sacrifice it represents and more. I wear my uniform with pride, for it represents the greatest nation of free people in the world.”

- Captain Karen Dorman Kimmel

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. Gwangbokjeol - Korean Independence Day, August 15th

2. Military gears up propaganda machine to celebrate August 15

3. Pompeo sends well wishes for Korean Liberation Day

4. War games prove why America cannot afford a second Korean War

5. North Korean soldier jailed for listening to Radio Free Asia broadcasts

6. North Korea’s Office 39 diverts electricity to gold production

7. The right question, the right to question: Thae Yong-ho versus Lee In-young

8. The Thae-Lee brouhaha: an American diplomat’s perspective

9. Moon says gov't ready to discuss wartime forced labor at any time with Japan

10. South Korea, US to stage joint summertime exercise behind schedule amid coronavirus: sources

11. New virus cases reach 5-month high, guidelines toughened for Seoul, Gyeonggi area

12. New book reveals Kim Jong-un’s deep bond with Trump

13. How is Korea faring in its battle against coronavirus?

14. U.S. conducting anti-dumping, countervailing duties probe on S. Korea steel pipes

15. N. Korean, Russian leaders pledge stronger ties on Liberation Day exchange

16. ICAS Polling XI (“The weakest link in the iron-clad US-SK alliance is Moon and Trump…”)

17. North Korean hackers target Israeli defense companies

18. How Joe Biden will take on North Korea

1. Gwangbokjeol - Korean Independence Day, August 15th

Asia Society · August 15, 2020

2. Military gears up propaganda machine to celebrate August 15

Daily NK · by Jeong Tae Joo · August 13, 2020

Kim Il-Sung developed the myth that he liberated Korea from Japan. He did not. It is a myth. But the legitimacy of the Kim family regime is built upon this myth. I recommend to anyone who wants to understand the myth: read Syd Seiler's book, Kim Il-Song, 1941-1948: The Creation of A Legend, The Building of A Regime

3. Pompeo sends well wishes for Korean Liberation Day

KBS World Radio · August 14, 2020

4. War games prove why America cannot afford a second Korean War

National Interest · by Michael Peck · August 14, 2020

The RAND report can be downloaded here.

5. North Korean soldier jailed for listening to Radio Free Asia broadcasts

New York Post · by Yaron Steinbuch · August 14, 2020

I often hear people say radio broadcasts do not make into the North due to jamming by the regime. We can overpower their jammers.

An interesting anecdote: a soldier listening to RFA on a military radio in a government ministry radio. But then she was caught by failing to change the frequency and was discovered and someone turned her in. She also seemed to be in a relatively important position.

6. North Korea’s Office 39 diverts electricity to gold production

Radio Free Asia · by Eugene Whong · August 12, 2020

Office (Department, Bureau, Room) 39 is one of the most important organizations to the Kim family regime. Everything it does is to support Kim Jong-Un and the Kim family regime, even diverting electricity to produce gold.

7. The right question, the right to question: Thae Yong-ho versus Lee In-young

38 North · by Aidan Foster-Carter · August 14, 2020

8. The Thae-Lee brouhaha: an American diplomat’s perspective

38 North · by Lynn Turk · August 14, 2020

The author thinks this is much ado about nothing.

9. Moon says gov't ready to discuss wartime forced labor at any time with Japan

Yonhap News Agency · by lcd@yna.co.kr · August 15, 2020

Two key points from President Moon's speech on Independence Day: 1) his confidence that Japan/South Korea relations can be built through further mutual respect of individual human rights; and 2) his overtures towards the North with regard to achieving long-term peace and stability through a unified Korean peninsula.

10. South Korea, US to stage joint summertime exercise behind schedule amid coronavirus: sources

Korea Times · by aoshima11@koreatimes.co.kr · August 15, 2020

Note the two day delay, as a member of ROK Army – who was exposed to more than 160 personnel –tested positive for the coronavirus. Yes, this is only training. However, our adversaries look at this and wonder what effects they could achieve if they unleashed a bio-weapon. We are going to have to learn to "fight through" this pandemic and the next week as well as be prepared for a future bio attack. As part of this training and during the two day delay, I recommend that commanders ask this question of staff and subordinate units: what preparation, plans, and procedures can we put in place to be able to fight through both a pandemic and a bio-attack, especially since we might not initially be able to tell the difference? This issue brings another problem set to the indications and warnings challenge: what if we misread a real attack and instead think it is a pandemic?

11. New virus cases reach 5-month high, guidelines toughened for Seoul, Gyeonggi area

Yonhap News Agency · by odissy@yna.co.kr · August 15, 2020

12. New book reveals Kim Jong-un’s deep bond with Trump

Korea Herald · by Choi Si-young · August 14, 2020

The book is to be published on September 15th. I pre-ordered it on Amazon for the sole purpose of reading these letters (which is probably what the publisher intended). But we only have Kim's letters to understand the "deep bond." It is too bad that Woodward could not go to Pyongyang to interview Kim Jong-Un to get the real truth about how he feels about Trump. Perhaps that will be in his next book?

13. How is Korea faring in its battle against coronavirus?

Korea Herald · by khnews@heraldcorp.com · August 15, 2020

Some very interesting data well presented for the layman (like me).

14. U.S. conducting anti-dumping, countervailing duties probe on S. Korea steel pipes

Korea Herald · by Yonhap · August 15, 2020

More friction in the alliance.

15.  N. Korean, Russian leaders pledge stronger ties on Liberation Day exchange

Yonhap News Agency · by odissy@yna.co.kr · August 15, 2020

Remember that Kim Il-Sung was a guerrilla fighter leading the 1-88th Special Independent Sniper Brigade of about 200 men under the control of the Soviet Red Army. He was not fighting for Korea. It is a myth that he liberated Korea. He was fighting (in the one little skirmish he had with some Japanese police along the Korean-Russian border) for the USSR. Someone has to undermine the myth of Kim Il-Sung as the great leader conducting anti-Japanese partisan warfare. But, like all the great propagandists (from Stalin to Mao to Hitler and Goebbels) know: if you tell a lie enough times people will believe it. And if you tell the big lie people will believe it even more. We should be exposing these lies through effective information and influence activities.

16. ICAS Polling XI (“The weakest link in the iron-clad US-SK alliance is Moon and Trump…”)

ICAS, Inc. · August 14, 2020

The Excel spreadsheet with the survey data in bar graphs and pie charts can be accessed here.

17. North Korean hackers target Israeli defense companies

FDD · by Mathew Ha · August 14, 2020

From my colleague, Mathew Ha. We need the political will to aggressively target North Korea cyber activities.

18. How Joe Biden will take on North Korea

National Interest · by Joseph R. DeTrani · August 15, 2020

I was asked by a journalist to also comment on Biden policy for North Korea. Specifically, I was asked if Biden will the adopt progressive positions of Representative Ro Khanna and Senator Bernie Sanders. This is my take:

I will be happy to comment on such areas, but I will not take a partisan position. 

I think a fair question to ask regarding whomever wins, whether it is Trump or Biden, is will the unconventional, experimental, top-down, pen pal diplomacy with Kim Jong-Un continue? Will Trump’s relationship with Kim be damaged by the release of Bob Woodward’s book that will apparently have the 25 or so letters between the two published? If a Sanders position is adopted regarding direct talks, would Kim be willing to meet with Biden and would Biden be able to establish some kind of positive relationship with Kim?

Regardless of who wins, Kim will demand sanctions relief at least in part, if not complete, before he agrees to move forward. He has failed to “play” Trump and Moon, despite raised expectations that both would be willing to make a deal, and this has put Kim under enormous pressure in Pyongyang. He is going to have to deliver after the election so he will be making demands that must not be met. He will be resorting to his blackmail diplomacy, which is to conduct provocations and raise tension in order to gain political and economic concessions. We cannot give in to those concessions, because to do so will simply prove to Kim Jong-Un that his blackmail diplomacy works, and he will never negotiate in good faith as he knows he can make the US give in to his demands.

I do not have any insights into the Biden-Harris Foreign policy positions, but if they are going to adopt some of the position espoused by Representative Ro Khanna, then it will have a very damaging effect on US interests in Northeast Asia and security on the Korean peninsula.

Rep Khanna advocates for a peace treaty with North Korea. This plays into the hands of Kim Jong-Un and his long-term strategy to split the ROK/US alliance and get US forces off the Korean peninsula (sadly, this also seems to be a Trump desire as well). Ending the alliance, getting US troops off the peninsula, and ending extended deterrence and the nuclear umbrella over the ROK and Japan is what Kim calls for to prove that the US “hostile policy” has ended. This is what he means by a security guarantee from the US. He does not mean words or an agreement. He means concrete action by the US to remove what he perceives as a threat to him and the only obstacle standing in the way of him dominating the peninsula under the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.

Rep Khanna and his allies in various think tanks seem to think that sanctions should be lifted.  First of all, neither Trump nor Biden as President has the power to unilaterally lift sanctions as the UN Security Council must lift UN sanctions and the UK and France have shown that they oppose such a move and will likely use their vetoes even if the US advocates to do so. They would also not have the power to lift US sanctions without US approval. Korean issues are arguably the only real bipartisan foreign policy issues and there will likely remain very strong support for keeping sanctions in place until a substantive agreement and concrete action toward denuclearization is taken by Kim Jong-Un.

We should also keep in mind two things.  First, Kim could get sanctions relief if he would make the policy decision to comply with the requirements of the sanctions.

 Second, those who advocate lifting of sanctions without compliance must be asked what North Korean horrific behavior do they wish to condone by Kim Jong-Un and the Kim family regime?  Do they support the continued nuclear and missile development? Do they support the continued proliferation of weapons around the world contributing to instability in the Middle East and Africa? Do they support the ongoing cyber attacks around the world? Do they support the global illicit activities such as counterfeiting, drug trafficking, and the employment of overseas slave labor? Do they condone the gulags in North Korea and the brutal human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed against the Korean people living in the north? All those who advocate for sanctions relief without compliance by the North must be asked those questions and they must provide answers and specify with behaviors they wish to condone.

In conclusion, I do not know what positions a Biden administration will adopt, but if it includes a peace treaty, removal of US troops, continued direct diplomacy without progress from Kim Jong-Un, and sanctions relief without compliance with the requirements of sanctions, then US interests in Northeast Asia will be at risk as will the security of our two allies, the ROK and Japan.  Ironically, if Trump is elected for a second term some of this might describe his policies as well since he has said he will make a “quick deal” if he is re-elected.

"It is the nature of every person to error, but only the fool perseveres in error."

- Marcus Tullius Cicero

“We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace.

- St. Augustine

“Without a word this uniform also whispers of freezing troops, injured bodies, and Americans left forever in foreign fields. It documents every serviceman’s courage, who by accepting this uniform, promises the one gift he truly has to give: his life. I wear my uniform for the heritage of sacrifice it represents and more. I wear my uniform with pride, for it represents the greatest nation of free people in the world.”

- Captain Karen Dorman Kimmel