A rare dual publishing day:

1. Can America live with a nuclear North Korea? I say Yes, because it must:

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/can-america-live-nuclear-north-korea-41387

2. Could China sink two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers in a sneak attack, as one Chinese admiral says it should? I say Yes, but don’t bet on it:

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/yes-china-could-sink-us-navy-aircraft-carrier-don’t-bet-it-41227

 

Inquiring minds want to know which version of the Monroe Doctrine would apply to Russian exploits in the Western Hemisphere, and whether the United States should accept similar limits on its activities in Eastern Europe –

https://blog.usni.org/posts/2019/01/08/the-monroe-doctrine-and-russia

Short and less-than-satisfactory answer: maybe.

https://nationalinterest.org/print/blog/buzz/taiwans-military-really-ready-take-china-40682

Be right about North Korean nuclear disarmament while hoping to be pleasantly surprised –

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/james-r-holmes-my-north-korea-prediction-2019-39297

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/reading-fiction-leads-good-strategic-thinking-39077

Advance look at the thesis and layout of Red Star over the Pacific, second edition, which debuts tomorrow:

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/book-excerpt-red-star-over-pacific-chinas-rise-and-challenge-us-maritime-strategy-38617

A foray into non-naval seafaring in the age of sail, courtesy of Steven Ujifusa’s Barons of the Sea, about the race to build the fastest clipper ships for the China and California runs:

https://blog.usni.org/posts/2018/12/12/behold-the-clipper-ships

Remember, commerce is king in sea power. The navy is just an enabler and protector.