How should Washington react to increasing signs of Chinese assertiveness in its neighborhood? Four CFR experts counsel firmness and engagement with China, and intensified ties between the United States and its allies.

CFR's Scott A. Snyder discusses the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force Report on U.S. Policy Toward the Korean Peninsula with students, as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's Academic Initiative.

This event was part of the workshop, The United States and Japan at 50: Resilience and Renewal, cosponsored by Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Asahi-Shimbun. This event was also made possible by the generosity of the following corporate sponsors of CFR's Japan program: Canon USA, Mitsui & Company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Sony Corporation of America, and Toyota Motor North America.

This event was part of the workshop, The United States and Japan at 50: Resilience and Renewal, cosponsored by Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Asahi-Shimbun. This event was also made possible by the generosity of the following corporate sponsors of CFR's Japan program: Canon USA, Mitsui & Company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Sony Corporation of America, and Toyota Motor North America.

This event was part of the workshop, The United States and Japan at 50: Resilience and Renewal, cosponsored by Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Asahi-Shimbun. This event was also made possible by the generosity of the following corporate sponsors of CFR's Japan program: Canon USA, Mitsui & Company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Sony Corporation of America, and Toyota Motor North America.

Peter M. Beck discusses Kim Jong-Il's efforts to make family rule permanent in North Korea, and complications that may make smooth leadership transition feasible just in the short run.

Scott A. Snyder says North Korea is increasingly dependent on China, and no longer appears to attach the same priority to improving relations with the United States.

Joshua Kurlantzick says China is starting to face consequences for its aggressive behavior in Asia.

With Tuesday's military promotions, North Korea's Kim Jong-Il created a triumvirate to succeed him. But this "collective leadership" will not change relations with the United States anytime soon, says  CFR expert Sue M. Terry.

Jerome A. Cohen says the recent dispute between China and Japan may offer lessons on how to protect Americans prosecuted in China.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's reelection as head of Japan's ruling Democratic Party means some long-needed continuity in Japanese government, but the party needs to demonstrate its effectiveness, says CFR's Sheila Smith.

A meeting of North Korean officials is expected to signal succession to Kim Jong-Il. Experts say the power transition is unlikely to herald reforms, and urge efforts to engage with the regime.

Noah Feldman explains why the draw-down of troops in Iraq is a beginning and not an end.

North Korea's elites prepare for a new regime they hope will look at lot like the current one.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula need to be managed carefully so that growing South Korean and U.S. intolerance for Korean belligerence doesn't lead to unintended military escalation, say CFR's Scott Snyder and Paul Stares.

Washington's new sanctions against North Korea, focusing on international financial institutions and banking systems, are likely to have more impact than trade sanctions, says North Korea economic expert Marcus Noland.

Sheila A. Smith says the U.S. president and the Japanese prime minister must reassure their publics of the value of a continued U.S.-Japan alliance.