Leslie H. Gelb says military confrontations loom for President Obama in Iran, Syria, and North Korea, and he can't head them off with the usual duet of threats and talks.

Ma Sang-yoon of the Catholic University of Korea discusses the April 11 Republic of Korea national assembly elections, explains their relationship to the December South Korean presidential elections, and highlights issues relevant to the future of U.S.-ROK relations.

Joshua Kurlantzick and Elizabeth Leader discuss how the newest threats to expression and access on the Internet are not coming from authoritarian states, but instead from somewhere more surprising: electoral democracies like Thailand, Turkey, and South Korea.

Leslie H. Gelb argues that the world is distracted, and North Korea, South Korea, and the United States are stumbling, once again, toward a nuclear confrontation.

A planned satellite launch by North Korea has suspended U.S. food aid. CFR's Scott Snyder says that Pyongyang is grappling with whether to choose international legitimacy or domestic political consolidation.

The Seoul summit advances global efforts on securing nuclear materials in dozens of countries, but the challenge will be to sustain the focus on the universal elimination of weapons-usable material, writes CFR's Micah Zenko.

President Obama gave these remarks at Hankuk University in South Korea on March 26, 2012.

Heads of fifty nations are discussing how to improve safeguards for nuclear weapons and materials. CFR's Michael Levi says these summits serve as reminders of the dangers beyond the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs.

CFR's James M. Lindsay remembers the sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway on March 20, 1995 by a religious cult, and discusses how technological advances increasingly mean that governments are no longer the only ones capable of inflicting mass destruction.

In addition to hosting the successful 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, South Korea is pursuing several nuclear-related national interests not directly associated with the conference.

Secretary of State Clinton gave these remarks with South Korean foreign minister Kim on March 9, 2012 in Washington, DC.

One year after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, Japan is facing a dilemma of how to clean up the disaster and how to meet current and future energy needs, says expert Charles D. Ferguson, even as the global nuclear industry continues to face the accident's aftershocks.

One year after Japan's triple disasters, questions persist about the ability of the world's third-largest economy to rebound and how its struggling political system can mount serious reforms, writes CFR's Sheila Smith.

CFR's Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, Sheila A. Smith, discusses the political and economic state of Japan one year after the earthquake and tsunami.

CFR's James M. Lindsay remembers the firebombing of Tokyo during World War II and discusses the destructive power of conventional weapons.

Sheila A. Smith discusses recovery and rebuilding one year after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Almost a year after the Fukushima disaster, fifty-two of Japan's fifty-four nuclear power plants have been shut down. The reactor explosion destroyed the population's trust in nuclear energy. But the atomic lobby--and the country's industrial needs--could block a possible phase-out, writes Wieland Wagner at Der Spiegel.

North Korea may be on the verge of a "transformative moment," which will require the time, attention, and resources of the winner of the U.S. presidential election, says CFR's Scott Snyder.

North Korea's agreement to freeze nuclear activities and allow in inspectors, while stirring hopes, echoes past deals that have failed to initiate a sustained denuclearization program, says expert Mark E. Manyin.

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland gave this statement on February 29, 2012 regarding U.S.-North Korea bilateral talks and North Korea's agreement to implement a moratorium on nuclear activities including uranium enrichment.