Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:


“In every age it has been the tyrant, the oppressor and the exploiter who has wrapped himself in the cloak of patriotism, or religion, or both to deceive and overawe the People.”
― Eugene Victor Debs


“There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.”
― Robert A. Heinlein

“When one with honeyed words but evil mind
Persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.”
― Euripides, Orestes



1. N. Korea accuses West of abusing human rights in white paper

2. 8 NATO representatives to visit Korea this week

3. U.S. lawmaker urges Indo-Pacific nations to consider NATO-like alliance to deter China, North Korea

4. N. Korea lambasts S. Korea-U.S. joint military drills as acts leading to 'ruin'

5. Deadly cost of slips of the tongue in N. Korea

6. U.S. will explore 'array of tools' against N. Korea-Russia arms trade: Washington official

7. S. Korea to make efforts to ease foreign investors' concerns about tensions on peninsula: minister

8. BTS' Jimin, Jungkook to join Army; all BTS members to be on hiatus

9. Lectures for N. Korean government officials praise leadership of Kim Jong Un





1. N. Korea accuses West of abusing human rights in white paper


Our human rights upfront approach is having a pressure effect. Admit nothing, deny everything, and make counter accusations. The focus on human rights is a threat to the regime. It causes it to react to internal and external pressure and gives hope to the korean people in the north as we etiquette them about their universal human rights that the regime denies in order to remain in power.


(LEAD) N. Korea accuses West of abusing human rights in white paper | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 11, 2023

(ATTN: REWRITES headline; ADDS details from English-language report)

SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Monday accused the West of violating human rights while dismissing international criticism of its dire human rights conditions as it published a white paper on the issue.

Pyongyang made the accusation as it announced the publication of a white paper on human rights to mark the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations.

"The dignity and rights of human being mentioned by the declaration are now ruthlessly being violated in the U.S. and other Western countries where all sorts of social evils... are rampant," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing the white paper published by the Association for Human Rights Studies.

The KCNA said North Korean residents, on the other hand, are fully enjoying their human rights as the regime is fulfilling its responsibility in the field of international human rights.

It accused the U.S. of attempting to topple the regime through the "trite method" of taking issues with its human rights conditions, adding that human rights can be "realized only when the sovereignty is thoroughly defended."

The KCNA said the North has chosen the path to strengthen its "self-defensive capabilities" to "forever put an end" to such attempts, and safeguard its sovereignty and interests.

Since 2005, the U.N. General Assembly has adopted a resolution every year condemning North Korea's long-standing and widespread violations of human rights.


This illustration shows people's shadows against the North Korean flag. (Yonhap)

[email protected]

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 11, 2023


2. 8 NATO representatives to visit Korea this week


I wonder if some will become UN sending states? (those who are not already).


I also think the Asia Pacific 4 (AP4) - Korea, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia is an interesting and potentially important grouping.


8 NATO representatives to visit Korea this week

The Korea Times · December 11, 2023

The leaders of the Asia-Pacific Partnership, also known as AP4, a group of four key Asia-Pacific partner countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) — Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand — pose for a photo with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, center, at the venue of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 12. From left are Anthony Albanese of Australia, Fumio Kishida of Japan, Stoltenberg, Chris Hipkins of New Zealand and Yoon Suk Yeol of Korea. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon

The representatives of eight member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will visit Seoul later this week for security talks with Korean officials, the foreign ministry said Monday.

The NATO representatives of the United States, Britain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland will make a three-day trip to Seoul starting Wednesday, according to the ministry.

During the visit, they plan to meet with top government officials in Seoul, including Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, and First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin.

They will also attend a forum on women and security to be hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.

Their upcoming visit to Korea, which is not a NATO member state, is considered rare. It is seen as part of NATO's efforts to bolster the regional security cooperation with Korea in the Indo Pacific, after President Yoon Suk Yeol's consecutive participation in two NATO summits last year and this year. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · December 11, 2023


3. U.S. lawmaker urges Indo-Pacific nations to consider NATO-like alliance to deter China, North Korea


Yes, Congressman, Asia is like Europe. (But only different). I think we should examine the structure of the alliance system in Asia. The US has gone from a hub and spoke arrangement (which still exists) to a new "Silk Web" structure. When we examine the bilateral alliances with the other new arrangements (Quad, AUKUS, AP4, JAROKUS -Japan ROK US, event the UN sending states for Korea) it is possible that the mixture of these bilateral hub and spoke alliances combined with these new groups could actually make mutual defense (and across the elements of national power) stronger than just the old arrangements - they could be "Silk Web strong." Of course the one with Silk Web strength also reminds us "with great power comes great responsibility."


Monday

December 11, 2023

 dictionary + A - A 

Published: 11 Dec. 2023, 14:58

Updated: 11 Dec. 2023, 22:15

U.S. lawmaker urges Indo-Pacific nations to consider NATO-like alliance to deter China, North Korea

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-12-11/national/defense/US-lawmaker-urges-IndoPacific-nations-to-consider-NATOlike-alliance-to-deter-China-North-Korea/1932586

00:0002:59


President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with U.S. House Rep. Michael McCaul, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, at the presidential office in Seoul on April 5. Joining the delegational visit were representatives Young Kim, second from right, and Mike Lawler, fourth from right. [JOING PRESS CORPS]

A U.S. conservative lawmaker called on nations in the Indo-Pacific to consider a NATO-like security apparatus to curb Chinese and North Korean threats.

 

“Our adversaries — China, Russia, Iran and North Korea — have forged an unholy alliance to disrupt and destabilize the globe,” Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York said in a statement released by his office last week. “It’s crucial that the democracies of the region and world work in unison to combat this rising threat.”

 

The Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization Act, drafted by Lawler and a group of representatives, would “establish a task force to analyze the security situation in the Indo-Pacific” and determine whether a NATO-like coalition between the United States and Indo-Pacific partners would be “an effective deterrent” to aggression from China and North Korea, according to Lawler’s office.

 



The bill comes on the heels of continued military provocations from the North, which launched a spy satellite into orbit last month, and reports of alleged arms deals between Russia and North Korea. North Korean weapons were also found in the hands of Hamas militants who attacked Israel on Oct. 7, raising suspicions of North Korean involvement.

 


A statement of U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler released on his website as of last week. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Lawler was in Korea earlier this year with Rep. Michael McCaul and other House Foreign Affairs Committee members for a congressional trip to the region, during which they met with President Yoon Suk Yeol. They also visited Japan and Taiwan on the tour.

 

The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said it has no statement or position on the bill's proposal as of Monday. 

 

“A collective security agreement has the potential to deter aggression and protect the forces of democracy in the Indo-Pacific,” said Lawler. “I look forward to continuing the dialogue with our partners and working with my colleagues to get this important legislation passed.”

 

Although the idea of an Indo-Pacific NATO has been floated several times by U.S. legislators, the draft bill submitted last week was the first time it was proposed formally in the U.S. Congress.

 

Some experts have voiced their doubts on the idea, citing some critical differences among major players in the region like India, a member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the United States but has chosen to differ from the United States on issues related to Russia and China.

 

“Japan’s strategic interests are largely aligned with those of the United States in keeping China in check,” said Park Yong-han, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. “South Korea needs a collective security system to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. But due to its relationship with China, it has been difficult for Korea to actively participate in discussions on establishing such a collective security apparatus.”

 


BY ESTHER CHUNG, KIM SANG-JIN [[email protected]]



4. N. Korea lambasts S. Korea-U.S. joint military drills as acts leading to 'ruin'


The double edge sword of deterrence. It has an effect on the regime as it will not attack into strength. But the regime uses that strength to create the perception of threat so that it can justify military spending on nuclear weapons, missiles, and advanced military equipment as the Korean people in the north suffer and sacrifice for the well being of Kim Jong Un and his family.


But those who argue we should forgo exercises as a "security guarantee" in return from Kim coming to the negotiating table are only guaranteeing the lack of security for the ROK. The defense of the ROK cannot be compromised.


(LEAD) N. Korea lambasts S. Korea-U.S. joint military drills as acts leading to 'ruin' | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 11, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES with reaction from S. Korea's unification ministry at bottom; CHANGES headline)

SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Monday denounced South Korea and the United States for staging joint military drills, calling it a "futile" provocative act that will only hasten the South's destruction.

Citing joint military exercises that Seoul and Washington have carried out since late October, the Rodong Sinmun, the North Korean main newspaper, reported that South Korea is recklessly running amok to stage war on the Korean Peninsula.

"Having the U.S. on its back, the puppet group is pursuing an ambition for a northern invasion and walking on the path to confrontation and war. Its rash act is foolish and a futile bravado that hastens its ruin," the paper said.

North Korea has long denounced joint military drills between Seoul and Washington as rehearsals for invasion. The allies have said the exercises are defensive in nature.

Experts said North Korea is building excuses for provocative acts following its Nov. 21 launch of a military spy satellite.

Pyongyang has vowed to restore all military measures halted under a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction accord in protest of Seoul's partial suspension of the deal over the North's satellite launch.

"It is North Korea that has raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It is very regrettable that North Korea has unilaterally condemned our just and defensive measures," Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson at Seoul's unification ministry, told a press briefing.


Navies of South Korea and the United States stage combined anti-submarine and counter special operations drills in the East Sea on Nov. 14, 2023, in this photo provided by the South Korean Navy. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

[email protected]

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 11, 2023


5. Deadly cost of slips of the tongue in N. Korea


Kim denies the human rights of the Korean people in the north to remain in power. He fears the Korean people more than he fears the US military. Think about the implications of that. (which is why we need an information campaign to support the Koran people in the north).


Deadly cost of slips of the tongue in N. Korea

The Korea Times · December 11, 2023

Visitors look at cards showing words and expressions banned in North Korea at the North Korean Human Rights Museum in central Seoul, Nov. 15. Yonhap

New museum shows how regime controls citizens through language prohibition

By Jung Min-ho

North Korea’s constitution says it protects freedom of speech. But in reality, one misplaced word can cost you your life. Kim Hee-young learned this the hard way when she was young.

One day at her house, a friend of her father was talking about his experience working as a logger in Russia. Speaking to her father and another friend, he said that North Korean money was “as worthless as toilet paper” in other countries.

Soon after the friends left, she heard the wail of a siren and saw police entering the building where the man was living. The following day, she found out that the entire family including his children — around the same age as her — had completely disappeared.

“Everything, not only them but also all their belongings, vanished into thin air,” she said.

Kim is one of several North Korean escapees who shared their personal stories in regard to how the dictatorial regime suppresses the right to free speech in video messages displayed at the North Korean Human Rights Museum, which opened in central Seoul last month.

Under the title “The Echo Never Stops,” the inaugural exhibition highlights how the regime uses language prohibition as a means of shaping the way people speak and think, which ironically shows its fear of the freedom enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Witnesses say the regime also uses its language oppression as a means of dividing people so that they would trust no one but their “supreme leaders.”

In a video, Kim Bo-gyeong said she still remembers the day her father was dragged off by North Korean security officials for simply saying he was living a “tough life” while drinking with his friends.

At just 5, too young to understand why her father was being arrested, she told a woman living in the same village that she could not stop thinking about it. For some reason, the lady exaggerated what she had said and spread a rumor that the young girl was seeking to take revenge on those who took her father. Due to the accusations, the young girl was later questioned by authorities.

Visitors read materials displayed at the North Korean Human Rights Museum in central Seoul, Nov. 15. Yonhap

“The accusations could be about factual criticism or outright lies. That means anyone could be sent to a political prison camp or executed at any time based on flimsy evidence. In such an environment, people live in constant fear,” Kim Su-jin, a museum staffer, told The Korea Times. “I think what is happening in North Korea is a typical example of controlling people’s thoughts by controlling their words.”

At the museum, run by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, a Seoul-based NGO, visitors can see the words and expressions that were spoken and forever altered the lives of ordinary North Koreans. Verified by witnesses, they include legitimate criticisms of the regime and well-intended personal opinions about how the country should be run: “I do not want to defend a country that cannot even feed its own military,” “I miss my parents in China” and “We should urgently reform our (economic) system” are among the examples.

Visitors can also see the human rights group’s research materials relevant to the theme and art created by North Korean defectors.

The project of establishing a museum dedicated to North Korea’s human rights issues began in 2017. After years of delays due to budget problems, it started to gain momentum under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. A high-ranking official at the Ministry of Unification told The Korea Times that it has been in talks with human rights groups to expand the size of the museum in the near future.

The Korea Times · December 11, 2023



6. U.S. will explore 'array of tools' against N. Korea-Russia arms trade: Washington official


(LEAD) U.S. will explore 'array of tools' against N. Korea-Russia arms trade: Washington official | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · December 12, 2023

(ATTN: ADDS more remarks in last 5 paras)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. diplomat on Monday decried an arms trade between North Korea and Russia as "not acceptable," vowing to explore an "array of tools" to tackle the security issue.

Yuri Kim, principal deputy assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, made the remarks at a forum in response to a question about Pyongyang's provision of ammunition to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

"We are concerned and we will look at the array of tools that are available to the U.S. government. I think we will also be working very closely as we have been with our EU partners, with NATO allies and with other allies like Korea, Japan, and other members of the G7 partnership to try and tackle this problem," she said.


Yuri Kim, principal deputy assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, speaks during a forum hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) in Washington on Dec. 11, 2023 in this photo captured during streamlining from the KEI YouTube account. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

"It is not acceptable for Russia and North Korea to be engaged in this kind of trade," she added.

Kim said that the U.S. is watching "very carefully" what Russia is doing not only with North Korea but also with Iran and China.

She also noted that despite Russia and China having a "special responsibility" to contribute to world security as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), they are "doing exactly the opposite at this point."

"We've never had a situation in which a permanent member of the UNSC is so frequently violating not just the U.N. Charter, but all the various Security Council resolutions that Russia itself voted, including Security Council resolutions that restrict and prohibit North Korea from engaging in ballistic missile tests, and from developing its nuclear weapons program," she said.

In October, the White House said that the North had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.

The revelation came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a Russian spaceport, in September, raising concerns about a possible arms deal between the two countries.

Hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America, Monday's forum focused on public diplomacy, a foreign policy tool aimed at enhancing public support for a certain country through cultural and other people-to-people engagements.

Kim, a Korean American diplomat, characterized the current relationship between Seoul and Washington as one of "mutual respect and admiration," as she highlighted the transformation of global perceptions of South Korea backed by the global popularity of its culture and other elements.

"I am really proud that the relationship between the U.S. and Korea has never been stronger," she said.

During the forum, South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Hyun-dong voiced concerns about disinformation that undermines public diplomacy efforts.

"We all know that securing public support is crucial for foreign policy. Yet, the flow of disinformation makes this more complicated," he said. "We also know that foreign information manipulation is a grave transnational threat that undermines our democracy."

[email protected]

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · December 12, 2023


7. S. Korea to make efforts to ease foreign investors' concerns about tensions on peninsula: minister


S. Korea to make efforts to ease foreign investors' concerns about tensions on peninsula: minister | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 11, 2023

SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification minister said Monday the government will make efforts to assuage foreign investors' concerns about heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, saying his country has been beefing up a readiness posture against North Korea's potential provocations.

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho made the remark during his meeting with U.S. investor Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, in Seoul amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's launch of a military spy satellite last month.

North Korea has vowed to restore all military measures halted under a 2018 inter-Korean military accord, after Seoul partially suspended the agreement over Pyongyang's satellite launch.

"We've heard that foreign investors are very much concerned about tensions that's escalating on the Korean Peninsula. But the government has a military readiness against the North's possible provocations and will make many efforts to ease foreign investors' such concerns," Kim said.


Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho (R) speaks in a meeting with Rogers Holdings Chairman Jim Rogers (L) in his office in Seoul on Dec. 11, 2023. (Yonhap)

The minister said his meeting with Rogers could be an occasion to discuss the vision of a "free and peaceful" unification of the two Koreas and economic benefits from a unified Korea.

Rogers said he believes the two Koreas will be "united someday," expressing hope that the heavily fortified inter-Korean border could first open.

"If we don't have the 38th parallel and if we don't have the DMZ, Koreans could come and go. Koreans will take care of it," Rogers said, referring to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating South and North Korea.

"If we open the border, I'll buy the beer. We will have a big party, and we'll invite BLACKPINK ... We'll have a band from North Korea," he said, speaking of the K-pop girl group.

[email protected]

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 11, 2023



8. BTS' Jimin, Jungkook to join Army; all BTS members to be on hiatus


​Soft power takes a hit from the need for hard power.


BTS' Jimin, Jungkook to join Army; all BTS members to be on hiatus | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Shim Sun-ah · December 12, 2023

SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- Two more members of K-pop supergroup BTS will begin their mandatory military service Tuesday, ushering in a hiatus for all seven members.

Jimin and Jungkook will enter the same military recruit training camp of the Army, one day after two other members -- RM and V -- enlisted at a different camp.

With the moves, all seven members of the group will be on hiatus to fulfill their military duty.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for at least 18 months.


BTS members Jimin (L) and Jungkook show off their military cuts in this composite photo from Weverse and Instagram. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The four will work as active-duty soldiers before being discharged in June 2025. The group and its agency, BigHit Music, were hoping the team would resume activities as a full group afterward.

Three older band members are already in service, with Jin, the oldest, being the first to join last December.

Jin and J-Hope are performing active duty, while Suga is serving as a social service agent, an alternative form of military service in the country.

"I think it will be a lot of support to be able to enlist with Jungkook. I will come back after doing a good job," Jimin said in a livestream on Weverse, a K-pop fan community platform, on Monday.

Jungkook took to Weverse on Friday together with other members to say his farewell to fans.

"It has been a busy life (so far)," he said in a livestream. "I'm leaving after doing happy activities thanks to you. I think military is a place where men should definitely go."

The members said in the video that they have prepared various content for the group's devoted fans who will be waiting for their return.

"We have prepared so much that you can look forward to it," Jungkook said.

[email protected]

(END)


en.yna.co.kr · by Shim Sun-ah · December 12, 2023


9. Lectures for N. Korean government officials praise leadership of Kim Jong Un


It is all about the glorification and deification of Kim and the regime. Of course what this really means is everyone has to more than "tithe" to their god. Can an information campaign exploit the dissatisfaction with this?


https://www.dailynk.com/english/lectures-for-n-korean-government-officials-praise-leadership-of-kim-jong-un/


Lectures for N. Korean government officials praise leadership of Kim Jong Un

Officials who attended the lectures complained that they might be tasked with contributing more party funds, even as they took pride in the government's launch of the spy satellite

By Seulkee Jang - 2023.12.11 3:26pm

Rodong Sinmun reported on Mar. 10, 2022, that Kim had visited the National Aerospace Development Administration (Rodong Sinmun-News1)

North Korean government agencies conducted commemorative lectures following the country’s recent third and successful launch of a military spy satellite. The lectures extolled the leadership of the country’s supreme leader and called on all government agencies to hasten the accomplishment of goals set forth by the Workers’ Party of Korea just as the space sector had done.

Speaking on condition of anonymity on Dec. 5, a source in North Korea said lectures to celebrate the successful launch of the Malligyong-1 spy satellite were held at provincial party committees, the Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Social Security, and other agencies from Nov. 23 to 25.

In the case of the Ministry of State Security, three lectures were held at the ministry’s headquarters in the Ryonmot-dong neighborhood of Sosong District, Pyongyang. Officials who attended the lectures received three-page documents that were collected immediately after the lecture ended. 

The document’s introduction praised the nation’s supreme leader, saying that North Korea “had become a global space power thanks to the excellent leadership of Comrade General-Secretary Kim Jong Un.”

The document then praised the “accomplishment of yet another task from the five-year plan to develop defense science and weapon systems presented during the Eighth Party Congress of January 2021.”

At the time, North Korea ordered the development of miniaturized nuclear weapons and tactical nuclear weapons; the production of super-large nuclear warheads; the improvement of accuracy rates for strikes within a range of 15,000 kilometers; the development and adoption of hypersonic weapons; the creation of land-launched and sea-launched solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles; the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines and sea-launched nuclear strategic weapons; the operation of military spy satellites; and the development of reconnaissance drones.

According to the lecture materials, the country attained one of the goals of the Workers’ Party “due to the sincerity of space development scientists and technicians,” indicating that even the commemorative lectures held for the benefit of government employees praised the hard work done by scientists and technicians in the space development sector.

Daily NK reported in November that the North Korean leadership congratulated the National Aerospace Technology Administration’s scientists immediately following the third and successful satellite launch.

Kim Jong Un reportedly praised the “loyalty” of the scientists who — out of “conviction” — proposed that the launch be delayed until after October, despite the authorities’ public declaration that they would attempt another launch in October.

Officials complain of nonstop government demands for more money

The recent lectures in Pyongyang urged all agencies and workplaces to ramp up efforts for the year-end review, just like the scientists and technicians who “accomplished the will of the Workers’ Party.”

Officials who attended the lectures complained that they might be tasked with contributing more party funds, even as they took pride in the government’s launch of the spy satellite.

“Officials lamented that each agency worked hard to gather party funds to develop strategic weapons, and now they must earn dollars to conquer space, too,” the source said.

Asked if the lectures mentioned Kim’s family members like his wife, Ri Sol Ju, or his children, the source answered, “No, not at all.”

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler. 

Daily NK works with a network of sources who live inside North Korea, China and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.  

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to [email protected].





















































































































De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: [email protected]


De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161


If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."
Company Name | Website
Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest  
basicImage