How Trump brought Korea to the brink of nuclear war – NKNews Podcast Ep. 194

North Korea News Podcast

Some observers have argued that North Korea followed a familiar pattern of raising tensions for the purpose of extracting concessions during the 2017 nuclear crisis, maintaining that there was never any serious danger of war breaking out on the Korean Peninsula. On this week's podcast, Professor Van Jackson explains why 2017 was different: Donald Trump’s foreign policy brought the U.S. and DPRK perilously close to a catastrophic nuclear conflict, he says. Jackson also discusses what he views to be serious problems with Joe Biden’s “conservative” North Korea policy and how he uses his own show, “The Un-Diplomatic Podcast,” to bring hip-hop to bear on international relations. Jackson is a senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington and holds appointments at the Center for a New American Security, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and other think tanks. He is the author of “Rival Reputations: Coercion and Credibility in U.S.-North Korea,” “On the Brink: Trump, Kim and the Threat of Nuclear War” and the forthcoming “Pacific Power Paradox." He tweets under the handle @WonkVJ. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.