“Showdown on the Korean Peninsula: The United States, China and the Two Koreas”

Storm clouds are gathering over the Korean peninsula. The North Korean nuclear crisis has entered a new stage as Pyongyang has fired missiles at and over its neighbors and has tested what it claims to be a nuclear device. President Donald Trump has promised to meet North Korean aggression with “fire and fury” and has called on the international community to isolate and pressure the North Korean regime to give up its nuclear weapons program. In the meantime, the People’s Republic of China , while distancing itself from its erstwhile North Korean ally, has been calling for a negotiated settlement based upon mutual compromise and a suspension of hostile actions by all parties. How will this crisis resolve itself? Will North Korea give up its weapons? Will the United States and the rest of the international community be forced to come to terms with living with a nuclear armed Korea? Or, is it possible that we may be on the eve of military conflict - even war - in East Asia? Participants: Sung-Yoon Lee - Kim Koo-Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies at the Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. Professor Lee has written extensively on North Korea and diplomacy on the Korean peninsula. His publication includes articles in Foreign Affairs, Asia Policy and Korean Policy Review. Robert S. Ross – Professor of Political Science at Boston College and a leading expert on Chinese defense and security policy. Professor Ross’s recent publications include Chinese Security Policy: Structure, Power, and Politics, China’s Ascent: Power, Security, and the Future of International Politics, and New Directions in the Study of Chinese Foreign Policy. Gary Samore - Executive Director for Research at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has extensive experience in public service and served for four years as President Obama’s White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), including as U.S. Sherpa for the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC and the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, Korea. Moderator: Thomas U Berger – Professor of International Relations, Pardee School for Global Studies at Boston University. Professor Berger is an expert on East Asian security and Japanese defense and national security policy. His books include Cultures of Antimilitarism: National Security in Germany and Japan, and War, Guilt and world Politics: The Legacy of WW II in Europe and Asia.