Wilson Center
Robert Litwak is director of international security studies at the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan policy organization. He served as director for nonproliferation in President Clinton's first administration. He is author of Preventing North Korea's Nuclear Breakout.
How serious are people taking Trump's threat to North Korea? President Trump’s impromptu threat of hitting North Korea with fire and fury on Tuesday launched 48 hours of breaking news coverage: Montages of missiles detonating, graphics painting Trump and Kim Jong Un as mortal enemies. With mixed messages from Washington, many Americans are worried and confused. Should we be preparing for nuclear war or dismissing this as an empty threat?
Two inexperienced leaders and the prospect of nuclear war President Trump shook much of the world yesterday with his comment on future threats from North Korea. "They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." North Korea's Kim Jung Un responded by saying he's reviewing plans to target America's airbase on the island territory of Guam. Today, some White House advisors are urging calm, but there's renewed concern about what might happen in one of the world's most dangerous regions. What more needs to be done to avoid catastrophic miscalculation by either side?
North Korea has miniaturized nuclear warhead The Washington Post reports that North Korea has crossed “a key threshold on the path to becoming a full-fledged nuclear power.” It's miniaturized a nuclear warhead so it can fit inside a guided missile. Robert Litwak, who was director of nonproliferation on President Clinton's National Security Council staff, is currently at the Woodrow Wilson International Center .
North Korean Nuclear Threat Resurfaces North Korea claimed today it has tested a thermonuclear weapon, also known as a "hydrogen bomb." That claim is being questioned, but the test alone was enough to generate an emergency session of the UN Security Council. Robert Litwak, who was director of nonproliferation on President Clinton's National Security Council, is now at the Wilson Center in Washington.
A Santa Barbara doctor learns to treat his own pain At the peak of his career as a palliative care doctor in Santa Barbara, Michael Kearney found himself burned out and in a state of personal suffering. Even though he had become an expert in treating the pain of others, he couldn’t treat his own. That changed when he had a revelatory experience that provided him with a path forward. Meanwhile, the November election is just days away, a look at what could happen to the Central Coast if California voters pass Proposition 10.
The Democrats take the House. Will the president need more lawyers? The midterms are over. What’s next for President Trump?
The Voting is Over, but the Campaign Continues Women had a major impact on the midterm elections. So did $5 billion in campaign spending. Meantime, Democrats now lead the House while Republicans dominate the Senate, and the politics of division continues on Capitol Hill. We’ll hear how former House Speaker Newt Gingrich helped start an era of gridlock and perpetual campaigning.