What to Do about North Korean Nuclear Weapons
Dr. Christopher Ford • August 23, 2023
On August 23, 2023, the Hoover Institution Press published Dr. Ford's paper "What to do about North Korean Nuclear Weapons: Allied Solidarity, the Limits of Diplomacy, and the 'Pain Box.'"
The essay discusses the relative merits and demerits of three potential ways forward in dealing with the North Korean nuclear problem: (1) continued denuclearization diplomacy; (2) "arms control" with Pyongyang; and (3) a pressure strategy Dr. Ford describes as the "pain box." It also assesses China's role, for good or for ill, in these dynamics.
You can find Dr. Ford's essay on Hoover's website here, or use the button below to download a PDF.
Below is an edited version of the prepared text upon which Dr. Ford based his oral comments at a conference on “U.S. Future Options for Deterrence and Arms Control,” in Washington, D.C., on September 29, 2026, sponsored by the Centre on Conflict, Development, and Peacebuilding of the Geneva Graduate Institute on International and Development Studies.
Below is an edited version of prepared text upon which Professor Ford based his shorter oral remarks on a panel on “Arms Control and Nuclear Risk Reduction” at the India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue held in New Delhi on September 18, 2026, sponsored by MIT’s Center for Nuclear Security Policy and the Observer Research Foundation .
Below follows the prepared text upon which Professor Ford based his remarks to a Defense Department audience near Las Vegas on September 3, 2026.
Below is an edited version of the prepared text upon which Professor Ford based his remarks to a workshop on theater nuclear weaponry sponsored by the Sandia Security Studies Institute at the Sandia National Laboratory on August 31, 2026.
Below appears the text upon which Dr. Ford based his shorter oral remarks on August 6, 2026, to a professional offsite meeting of a team of engineers from a major defense contractor working on conventionally armed precision-strike technologies.
Dr. Ford's article on the conceptual challenges of "tailoring" nuclear deterrence -- and suggesting a more robust and muscular alternative approach -- was published in Missouri State University's journal Defense & Strategic Studies Online (DASSO) in July 2026. You can find DASSO's webpage here , and an online copy of Dr. Ford's article here -- or use the button below to download a PDF. (This paper was also published in the Journal of Policy and Strategy , vol. 6, no 2 (2026), pp. 19-38, and can be found here .)
INHR published Professor Ford's latest essay on Artificial Intelligence and nuclear weapons on July 7, 2026. You can find the essay on INHR's website here , or read the text of his comments below.
War on the Rocks published Dr. Ford's essay "A New Force Posture Concept for Europeanizing Extended Nuclear Deterrence" on June 29, 2026.
Below is the text upon which Dr. Ford based his shorter remarks to a meeting with the class of Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) Scholars for 2026.
Below is the text of Dr. Ford's remarks at a dinner event in London on June 16, 2026.