Parley Policy Institute

Fostering the next generation of scholars and practitioners who can make a positive impact on the world has always been very important to me, which is why I'm so excited about this program. Those of us at Parley Policy are working with George Mason University Korea and the...

"The timing of this bridge [between China and North Korea] comes about a month after another bridge opening, which was between Russia and North Korea. So for me, when I look at this circumstance, I also see that there is an important policy signal coming from Pyongyang in...

Why isn't the boundary line between the two Koreas marked? This may come as a surprise to many, but the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that separates the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is unmarked--no fences, walls, or continuous...

Awful news: President Lee Jae Myung affirmed reports about a minestrike in the DMZ that injured three ROK soldiers. A few points on this: • There are approximately 2 million mines and pieces of unexploded ordnance strewn across both halves of the DMZ. Add annual...

This is an interesting update on U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations. If what Rezaei is saying is accurate, Tehran's indispensable demands of the White House have changed. The big changes: (1) No longer demanding a reconstruction and development fund. - To be frank, this was...

Three North Korean merchant sailors were reportedly recovered by the Japan Coast Guard off the western coast of Shimane prefecture--one still missing at sea. Both the Korea Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard responded to a distress call and dispatched rescuers to recover...

During a meeting of the American unit of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council yesterday, President Lee Jae Myung reiterated his call to transition from an "armistice regime" to a "peace regime": "To prevent tensions from rekindling due to shifts in domestic politics or...

Some may be surprised at the German determination that Russia was behind the 4 August drone attack at Leipzig Airport, but this was something I forecasted in a 13 July piece for the Kyiv Post entitled, "What Russian escalation could look like." Here is an excerpt...

How'd I do in my prediction for the U.S.-Iran War? On 13 July, when I was asked on @AfterburnPod Podcast where I think the U.S.-Iran War goes following the collapse of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, I said: "Temporary re-escalation moving to disengagement..."

North Korea reportedly launched another missile. According to the Japanese government, the missile has already fallen. This launch event follows the Kim Yo Jong-attributed statement denying contact with the White House and POTUS's statement that he'll meet Kim Jong Un this year.

The DPRK has now explicitly denied that there's been contact with the White House and called the reduction of exercises to foster dialogue an act "unworthy of comment" and one in which the Kim regime has "no interest in it at all." After releasing the pro forma criticism of...

DPRK state media issued the first relevant commentary since POTUS's surprise announcement on the reduction of combined exercises, and it's not what you might expect. Here are the key points to know and understand: ...

What should we make of Iran's latest threats to escalate even as the U.S. appears increasingly willing to disengage? For Tehran, there are three unresolved issues in the conflict that must be settled before they can disengage ...

Now that I've had some time to review all the puzzle pieces, let's dive into POTUS's overtures to the DPRK: BLUF: The Trump White House has long wanted to rekindle engagement with the DPRK, but the concessions needed to secure face-to-face talks--let alone...

North Korea reportedly launched another missile this morning. Three points to keep in mind as you contemplate these launch events: ...

Let's talk about Washington's reactions to the developments from this weekend (you can read the Parley Policy Institute update in the graphic below for context). On Iran: - If the ultimate goal for the White House is disengagement, then POTUS's tweets serve that end.

The Strait of Hormuz negotiations took a different turn this weekend than media outlets had previously indicated. The developments this weekend offer key insights into the state of play for this critical waterway. Read my full analysis here: linkedin.com/pulse/key-devel…

Sometimes a government official will offer important insight into internal negotiating dynamics, whether intentional or not. In this case, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's social media post about the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding is an interesting indication of...

I talked about @ParleyPolicy and our mission with @AfterburnPod before diving into issues like how wars end, the taxonomy of peace agreements, and why international relations is a game of poker, not chess. Watch the full episode via the link below⬇️

"For me as a negotiator who's dealing with crisis management, war termination, and postwar policy, I don't see myself as a closer. I see myself as a navigator." Watch the full Afterburn podcast via the link below⬇️