糖心TV

Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has catalysed a renewed partnership between Moscow and its Cold War client of Pyongyang. The two states have not only signed a mutual defence pact, but in addition to sending artillery and missiles to Russia, North Korea has also deployed over 11,000 troops to aid Putin鈥檚 war. At the same time, China has remained obstinate in its reluctance to comment on the burgeoning North Korea-Russia ties, despite continuing to exchange dual-use technologies with Russia. Is the revived DPRK-Russia rapprochement purely a transactional 鈥渕arriage of convenience鈥�? Alternatively, does it represent a longer-term strategy to form a new 鈥渁xis of upheaval鈥� between Russia, North Korea, China, and other rogue states, such as Iran? In shedding light upon these questions, this talk will aim to disaggregate the evolution of North Korea鈥檚 relationship with Russia, and analyse the implications of North Korea鈥檚 role in the Ukraine War on East Asian and global security, at a time of political change in Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Edward Howell is a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Oxford, the Korea Foundation Fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), London, and a Research Fellow with the Pharos Foundation. His research specialises in the international relations and security of East Asia, with a particular focus on the Korean Peninsula. His most recent research has concerned North Korea鈥檚 foreign policy and nuclear policy, inter-Korean relations, U.S.-DPRK relations, and UK policy towards the Korean Peninsula and Indo-Pacific. Edward鈥檚 latest book, North Korea and the Global Nuclear Order: When Bad Behaviour Pays was published by Oxford University Press in 2023, and pioneered a new framework for understanding North Korea鈥檚 delinquent behaviour since the end of the Cold War. He has served as an Emerging Leaders Fellow of the Ministry of Unification, Republic of Korea, a Non-Resident Fellow of the University of Vienna, and a Contributing Writer for The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Edward frequently offers analysis and commentary for international and national media outlets, including, BBC News, The Telegraph, Reuters, The Spectator, and CNN. He also engages with national and international thinktanks, including the Sejong Institute (South Korea), the Council on Geostrategy (London), and the Royal United Services Institute (London). Edward received a prizewinning B.A. in Geography, and M.Phil. and D.Phil. in International Relations, all from the University of Oxford.