Policy Brief No.259: Reassurance on the Korean Peninsula: Lessons from Scholarship to Stabilize Deterrence

Panu Kosonen r / shutterstock.com

This policy brief reviews the lessons of academic scholarship on deterrence and assurance in order to unpack how and why tools of assurance work. In pursuit of stable deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, all parties ought to be reassuring one another. While there are trade-offs between communicating deterrence and reassuring adversaries, both are necessary for a stable relationship and reducing the probability of crisis or war. First, I offer definitions for key terms. Second, I review scholarly findings on credible communication and signalling. Third, I apply theory to the policy problem of stabilizing the Korean Peninsula.