Behind the DMZ: North Korea / The Morality of Environmental Engagement
The hostilities of the Korean War ended in July of 1953. Ever since, America has maintained a military presence at the demilitarized zone on the 38th parallel dividing North and South Korea, ensuring the security of our South Korean allies. This is because, technically, the Korean War is still on. There never was a peace treaty ending the three-year war.
In the ensuing years, the Kim family solidified their position as the rulers of North Korea, enacting policies that curbed development that led to a famine. Though North Koreans live under an authoritarian dictatorship that has ingrained them with a God-like reverence for the ruling family, there is still a rich history and culture north of the 38th.
A new American administration means new policies in dealing with North Korea, and in recent weeks the tensions between the two countries have been escalating steadily.
Smart Talk will talk about the people of North Korea, that nation’s role in the global community and what the future of US/North Korean relations might look like. Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, an Associate Scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia will recount his visits to North Korea and paint a picture of North Koreans often ignored in American media.
Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein – Associate Scholar, Foreign Policy Research Institute
Also, The Trump Administration has made it clear it intends to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement – the united effort of 195 nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally. This has scientists flummoxed.
A campaign has begun in Pennsylvania to enact greenhouse gas reduction measures aligned to state standards. In effect, if the US is committed to withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, the state would adopt the agreement’s provisions.
Widener University Scholar-in-Residence Donald Brown as written extensively on conservation and the morality of environmental consciousness. Brown will join Smart Talk to discuss our responsibilities, personally and nationally, to preserving the environment.
Donald Brown – Widener University Commonwealth Law School Scholar-in-Residence and Professor of Sustainability Ethics and Law
