Briefing Archive

North Korea has never been an easy country to understand from the outside. But the recent cycle of seemingly contradictory developments in one the world’s most isolated countries appears especially bewildering. Last month, there were reports of a major leadership shakeup in Pyongyang, followed by a startling report in South Korean media that several key North Korean officials who had been in charge of negotiations with the United States had been executed or purged. Within a week, however, several of these officials resurfaced. These stories are a reminder that all too often, the immediate coverage about the North Korean state […]

In his visit to the White House last month, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who proudly describes himself as an illiberal democrat, did what every good populist does: He explained that he had a mandate from the people. “From the people, by the people, for the people. That is the basis for the Hungarian government,” he said when asked about democratic backsliding in his country. Like other populist leaders, Orban uses a number of tactics to back up his claims: sidelining the media to quell critics, whipping up perceived threats from migrants, refugees and others from abroad, and, like other […]

SEOUL—Most of the time, the existential issue of North Korea dominates dialogue between South Korea and its major allies and neighbors. But as I found out on a recent trip to Seoul, this fast-changing and dynamic society is beginning to see climate and environmental hazards as real priorities, too. As South Korea establishes its place as a G-20 developed economy and looks for ways to take on more responsibility in global governance, the tough tradeoffs between its economic growth and its adaptation to climate realities are becoming clearer. South Korean leaders are beginning to recognize that they need to do […]

VIENNA—In a bizarre showing of defiant support late last month, about 200 people cheered on the man who’d just become the briefest chancellor in Austria since 1945. “Stand up for Sebastian,” the crowd chanted, their words subdued by loud music, the rain, and the uncertainty of the political future. Austria’s Parliament had voted that Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his entire Cabinet be dismissed and replaced with a caretaker government until fresh elections in September. Despite his high approval ratings, Kurz became the first chancellor to be disposed of by Parliament in more than seven decades. At age 31, Kurz had […]

Amid the escalating U.S.-China trade war, concerns over the security implications of competitive Chinese technology like Huawei’s 5G network, and unresolved negotiations with Beijing over the theft of intellectual property, another tech policy question persists in Washington, although it is somewhat overlooked. How should the United States manage exports of artificial intelligence technologies? It has widespread ramifications for global research, innovation and commerce—and no easy answer. In November, the U.S. Commerce Department proposed a new rule on export controls for “emerging technologies that are essential to the national security of the United States.” Biotechnology, advanced computing technology and additive manufacturing—in […]

The Trump administration twice approved the transfer of nuclear technical expertise to Saudi Arabia after last year’s murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to new revelations this week. The disclosures have fueled frustrations in Congress over the administration’s apparent eagerness to aid Riyadh and its nuclear ambitions, including repeatedly ignoring and blindsiding lawmakers. The new details only add to questions about the White House’s motivations and the implications of a nuclear Saudi Arabia for the Middle East and U.S. national security. In a statement released Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia disclosed the timing of the two “Part […]

When the last of the ballots had finally been counted in the recent European Parliament elections, it became abundantly clear that one of the biggest losers was Britain’s Labour Party, and its Brexit strategy most of all. The party finished in third place, behind both Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and the ardently pro-Remain Liberal Democrats, with a mere 14.1 percent of the total vote. If the results are anything to go by, then Labour’s attempts to appeal to both Leavers and Remainers by being as ambiguous as possible about Brexit have actually had the opposite effect and alienated both sides […]

PRAGUE—An estimated 50,000 protesters rallied in Prague’s iconic Wenceslas Square in mid-May—the center of 1989’s Velvet Revolution and the earlier anti-communist revolt in 1968—amid rising fears that the Czech Republic could follow neighboring Hungary and Poland in sliding toward authoritarian rule. The mass protest marked a fourth week of growing demonstrations, kicked off by the surprise announcement on April 18 that an ally of billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis would take over as the justice minister, just a day after Czech police had recommended that Babis be prosecuted for fraud. The protesters worry that the previous justice minister, Jan Knezinek, […]