Today is publication day of my latest book. I started writing it back in 2019 at a cafe in rural South Dakota. I wanted to write a book that was not centered on North Korea or diplomatic history, my areas of expertise. I hope people find it interesting: cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions by Benjamin R. Young | Hardcover | Cornell University Press

Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions investigates how insurgent strategies from three revolutionary states—Mao's China, Guevara's Cuba, and Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam—shaped the tactics of armed movements...

cornellpress.cornell.edu

What did North Korea take from the Soviet collapse? Benjamin R. Young argues Pyongyang drew one conclusion above all: strengthen ideological control and build nuclear weapons. Read now: tnsr.org/2026/07/savi... @dubstepindprk.bsky.social #NorthKorea #NuclearWeapons #NationalSecurity

I wrote a piece for @koreaeconinst.bsky.social about necropolitics and how that is the political logic driving the Russian-North Korean military alliance. I recently presented on this topic for a national security community and people found it interesting. keia.org/analysis/a-n...

A New Risk Calculus for the Korean Peninsula - Korea Economic Institute of America

North Korea and Russia have radically different approaches to the value of human life and risk than the West—a reality that U.S. and South Korean defense planners must prepare for.

keia.org

ICYMI: @dubstepindprk.bsky.social's stellar "Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions" is now shipping! Check out more on this superb addition to the @cornellupress.bsky.social #Battlegrounds #MilitaryHistory series and line up for yours here: www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501.... I'll wait.

Coming to (academic) bookstores near you this July. Published with @cornellupress.bsky.social

My forthcoming book, "Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions: How China, Cuba, and Vietnam Transformed Guerilla Warfare," with @CornellPress now has a webpage! Scheduled to come out on July 15, 2026. You can pre-order now. www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions by Benjamin R. Young | Hardcover | Cornell University Press

Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions investigates how insurgent strategies from three revolutionary states—Mao's China, Guevara's Cuba, and Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam—shaped the tactics of armed movements...

cornellpress.cornell.edu

My piece for @koreaeconinst.bsky.social examines how the Iran crisis influences North Korea’s once close relationship with the Islamic Republic and why the North Koreans are so glad they have a robust nuclear arsenal. keia.org/the-peninsul...

Iran Conflict Hardens North Korea’s Nuclear Posture - Korea Economic Institute of America

The ongoing conflict in Iran will harden, not moderate, North Korea's nuclear resolve, with implications for U.S.-South Korea security planning.

keia.org

... has experience in intelligence (broadly defined), please encourage them to submit an application. The position is NOT remote as it does involve some in-person teaching. Here is a link to the job ad: jobs.uncfsu.edu/postings/28285

My university, Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, is hiring a full-time lecturer for the Intelligence Studies program. The position is open to both MA and PhD recipients. If you know of anybody interested in teaching at the undergraduate level and....

My university, Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, is hiring a full-time lecturer for the Intelligence Studies program. The position is open to both MA and PhD recipients. If you know of anybody interested in teaching at the undergraduate level and....

I wrote a piece for the Korea Economic Institute blog about the Russia-North Korea alliance and why I don't think this is merely a short-term transactional relationship. It goes much deeper into social and cultural issues. keia.org/the-peninsul...

How Russia Hopes to Help North Korea Blunt the U.S.-South Korea Alliance - Korea Economic Institute of America

The two nations are steeped in the same ideological brew of ultra-nationalism, hyper-militarism, and illiberalism.

keia.org

From a purely historical standpoint, Cuban security agents guarding Maduro is not unprecedented in global affairs. But it’s certainly a throwback to the Cold War when small poor communist states carved out niches. For example, North Koreans once guarded Prince Sihanouk in Cambodia

In the grand history of dictators, I don’t think Maduro even ranks in the top 10% of worst all time. Sure, he was a corrupt asshole but Pinochet, Batista, and the Shah (all U.S allies) were even more repressive. So dressing this abduction as a victory for freedom is shallow.

If Trump tries to abduct Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang would launch an ICBM at Guam or Hawaii. So North Korea remains the big winner this weekend!

This is all going to come back to bite the U.S in the butt and the fact that so many folks are celebrating this operation is appalling. I guess we forgot that Iraq turned into a den for jihadists and Afghanistan turned into a hotbed for opium production.

My latest for Compact magazine In short, I think a U.S ground invasion of Venezuela would be incredibly stupid. And I think we are vastly underestimating the ELN in Colombia who would come to the aid of Maduro’s regime. www.compactmag.com/article/the-...

The Coming Venezuelan Insurgency

At the height of the Iraq War, US forces confronted a relentless insurgency waged by fighters from a wide range of political movements and religious orientations, including ex-Baathists, Salafists, Wa...

compactmag.com

You can now pre-order my forthcoming book, "Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions: How China, Cuba, and Vietnam Transformed Guerilla Warfare," with @CornellPress. It is an intellectual history of leftist guerilla warfare from Mao to now. www.amazon.com/Reds-Revolut...

Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions: How China, Cuba, and Vietnam Transformed Guerilla Warfare (Battlegrounds: Cornell Studies in Military History)

Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions: How China, Cuba, and Vietnam Transformed Guerilla Warfare (Battlegrounds: Cornell Studies in Military History) - Kindle edition by Young, Benjamin R.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Reds, Revolutions, and Rebellions: How China, Cuba, and Vietnam Transformed Guerilla Warfare (Battlegrounds: Cornell Studies in Military History).

amazon.com

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ALT: Yes Very Sad Anyway Loki Sad GIF

media.tenor.com

Dr. Mark P. Barry ☯︎@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Russian ambassador to North Korea dies at 70: Foreign ministry | NK News www.nknews.org/2025/12/russ...

North Korea is not mentioned once. China is mentioned over 20 times, Russia 10, and Iran 5. Did they forget Pyongyang has nuclear weapons and helped to bolster Russia’s war machine on a sizable level?

David Burbach 🇺🇸@dburbach.bsky.social · 8mo ago

NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY DROPPED There is a LOT here, but omg NATO allies are going to seethe at this paragraph www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...

My latest for NK News

NK News@nknewsorg.bsky.social · 8mo ago

After Kursk: The foreign wars where North Korea could deploy its soldiers next www.nknews.org/2025/11/afte...

Inside North Korea’s Hidden Global Power Explore North Korea’s surprising global influence, from Africa to Latin America, and its unexpected ties with historic movements and leaders. www.youtube.com/live/7vlNIo-...

Inside North Korea’s Hidden Global Power | From Arica to Malcolm X, Black Panthers and Latin America

YouTube video by Dr Lokman Karadag

youtube.com

🎙️ This week, in my interview series on IR, I’ll be joined by Dr. Benjamin R. Young (@dubstepindprk.bsky.social) as we bring North Korea to the table for discussion. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell to get alerts when we go live. www.youtube.com/live/7vlNIo-...

Beyond Nukes: Inside North Korea’s Hidden Global Power

YouTube video by Dr Lokman Karadag

youtube.com

Very preliminary look at my next book cover. Entitled “Reds, Revolutions and Rebellions: How China, Cuba, and Vietnam Transformed Guerilla Warfare,” it is scheduled to come out in summer 2026 with Cornell University Press.

Famous Putinist sycophant Russian Singer, Shaman, meeting Kim Jong Un after his recent concert in North Korea. This renewed Russo-DPRK alliance is going to outlive the end of the Ukraine war. Military, diplomatic, and socio-cultural channels have all been strengthened.

I bet even the North Koreans hate him…

NK News@nknewsorg.bsky.social · 10mo ago

I contributed a review to this roundtable. It’s a Good book, with some problems.

H-Diplo with the Jervis Forum@h-diplo.bsky.social · 10mo ago

H-Diplo Roundtable XXVII-3 Jeffrey Crean’s The Fear of Chinese Power: An International History “argues that fears of China over the past 140 years have been based on racialized stereotypes of the Chinese” –Zach Fredman hdiplo.org/to/RT27-3

My latest publication. A review of a new book on North Korea- Africa relations.

Dr. Mark P. Barry ☯︎@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Book review: Interrogating North Korea’s role in Africa’s fight for freedom | NK News www.nknews.org/2025/09/book...

Kim Jong Un is going to Beijing and sees himself as an equal international leader to both Putin and Xi. Despite North Korea’s small geographic size and isolation from the Western order, Pyongyang has always had an inferiority complex and sees its as a global player in international affairs

Michelle Ye Hee Lee@myhlee.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Train presumed to be transporting Kim Jong Un has pulled into Beijing, live footage shows. Kim, who rarely travels internationally, left Pyongyang yesterday in his transportation of choice — in a heavily armored, slow-moving train for 16-20 hours — for China's Victory Day military parade Wednesday.

Now, North Korea will really NEVER give up nukes. Let’s stop this CVID cosplay and accept North Korea as a nuclear state because that’s what it is, whether we like it or not.

Unpopular opinion: we have learned to live with a nuclear-armed North Korea. We can learn to live with a nuclear Iran. Sure, it's not great but war is far worse.