Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Jagannath Panda’s piece ‘What AUKUS Means to North Korea’ has been published in 38 North, Stimson Center, Washington DC, on December 09, 2021.
The piece argues that the opportunities for AUKUS are not limited to simply targeting or containing China. The entire realm of possibility ranges from military technology sharing and defense/intelligence cooperation to its potential to revitalize multilateral, rules-based cooperation. With such vast potential, AUKUS has the potential to impact North Korea’s risk assessment of the security environment in the region and influence its actions in the future. While the entire scope of influence of the alliance remains to be seen, it also brings about new challenges in trying to mitigate the arms race with Pyongyang and raises the potential for a rival alliance to solidify between China and North Korea.