Paul B. Stares and Scott Snyder
The Korean peninsula has been on edge following the
Other than firing some coastal artillery and detaining a South Korean fishing boat that recently strayed into
These far-worse periods of inter-Korean tensions never ignited another war, and the incentives to prevent this from happening are even greater today.
Yet "we may be entering a dangerous new period" on the peninsula, as Lieutenant General
At the same time, however, it is clear from the South Korean and American response to the Cheonan incident that they have grown increasingly intolerant of such behavior and are predisposed to respond even more robustly to any future provocations, if only to maintain the credibility of their deterrent posture.
In such a charged environment, these various imperatives could interact in dangerous ways that heighten the risk of miscalculation, accidental interactions, and, ultimately, unintended military escalation. The lack of timely communication links to either the North Korean military or to the leadership in
In these circumstances,
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