Author profile

Follow author updates

Joseph R. DeTrani

Joseph R. DeTrani is a former Associate Director of National Intelligence and former member of the Senior Intelligence Service of the CIA. He served as special envoy for the Six-Party Talks with North Korea from 2003 to 2006 and as director of the National Counterproliferation Center. He regularly contributes columns to The Washington Times as part of the paper's Threat Status initiative.

Columns by Joseph R. DeTrani

The recent China-North Korea summit was historic

Chinese ruler Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea for meetings with Kim Jong-un attracted no shortage of coverage from Chinese and North Korean media.

June 16, 2026

We must do more to prevent and end wars

On Sept. 19, 2005, North Korea agreed to abandon all nuclear weapons and return to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

June 11, 2026

China’s fragile relationship with Russia and North Korea

China's recent summit with Russia and the likely upcoming visit of President Xi Jinping to North Korea are tactical moves that ignore the historical tensions between China, Russia and North Korea.

June 1, 2026

U.S. position on Taiwan has stayed the same

Xi Jinping made abundantly clear during the recent U.S.-China summit in Beijing that the mishandling of Taiwan could lead to an "extremely dangerous situation."

May 19, 2026

The administration needs a better relationship with the Vatican

President Ronald Reagan formed an alliance with Pope John Paul II in the 1980s that contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

May 14, 2026

The glaring failure at the U.N.’s current nuclear weapons conference

Last week, the 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, in session at the United Nations, elected Iran as a vice president.

May 7, 2026

Ending the Iran war the right way

The United Nations Charter was signed in June 1945 to save future generations from the scourge of war, uphold international peace, promote human rights and ensure global cooperation.

April 28, 2026

Beware a nuclear North Korea aligned with China, Russia

North Korea is building more nuclear weapons and more sophisticated ballistic missiles to target the region and the U.S. while ensuring close alignment with China and Russia.

April 22, 2026

The world needs to hear that the U.S., China can cooperate

Let's hope the May summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping is uplifting, giving the world hope that these great powers can cooperate for the common good.

April 14, 2026

China trying to leverage the TSA pay crisis

Chinese state media have seized on the Transportation Security Administration's pay crisis as emblematic of American political dysfunction.

March 31, 2026

Iran sowed terror for decades and now reaps the consequences

Over the years, Iran has been responsible for killing hundreds of Americans -- and most recently, thousands of Iranians.

March 18, 2026

U.S. must counter disinformation in ‘Axis’ countries

The Soviet Union was defeated in its war of aggression in Afghanistan (1979-1989) because the people said the 14,453 Soviet soldiers killed and the 54,000 wounded and missing were intolerable.

March 10, 2026

North Korea doubles down on nuclear weapons

At the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, held every five years, North Korea's Kim Jong-un left the door open for engagement with the U.S. and reaffirmed hostility with South Korea.

March 3, 2026

Iran’s leadership has lost legitimacy to rule

A ruler's legitimacy is granted by divine authority based on their virtue and ability to govern justly, maintain harmony and care for the people.

February 26, 2026

Why China suddenly approves of hereditary succession in North Korea

The South Korean National Intelligence Service revealed last week that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had selected his 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju-ae, as his successor.

February 18, 2026

U.S. should use international broadcasting entities to support freedom

It was a combination of hard and soft power that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

February 11, 2026

Xi continues his purge of China’s military

In China, the Chinese Communist Party "commands the gun," and Chinese President Xi Jinping controls the 1 million members of the CCP.

February 3, 2026

South Korea tries balancing its U.S., China relationships

Among South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's top challenges: balancing relations between the U.S. and China while taking on greater responsibility for the deterrence of North Korea.

January 27, 2026

Russia targeting Ukrainian civilians

The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that as of late 2025, 14,383 civilians had been killed in Ukraine, 673 of them children.

January 20, 2026