Joel Petersson Ivre 유엘
@joelivre.bsky.social
🇸🇪 in 🇰🇷 | "Yoo-el" | Senior Policy Fellow at Asia-Pacific Leadership Network | Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament | Shilling for Big Disarma | views mine and not to be taken too seriously | same id on the Old Place
Not today, Satan!
September 25, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Not today, Satan!
![Text that reads
significant positive correlation with the perception of a North Korea-China-Russia bloc. In contrast, support for the Democratic Party of Korea (DPRK [sic!!]) shows a significant positive correlation with the perception of a closer ties
among North Korea, China, and Russia only in Model 4, but](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:lm4btmrxdgcz5wzr3kcsnagx/bafkreifs5kjtbmychcfv2hvizbqhhe2zkxfz4epnliar3qhwq735ghpsxi@jpeg)
Free speech enthusiasts over here
July 4, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Free speech enthusiasts over here
Although of course
June 15, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Although of course
Interesting anti-disinformation feature added to South Korea's largest search engine ahead of the June 3 election. Auto-complete on searches with the candidates' names have been turned off. Still works for partial inputs though.
May 19, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Interesting anti-disinformation feature added to South Korea's largest search engine ahead of the June 3 election. Auto-complete on searches with the candidates' names have been turned off. Still works for partial inputs though.
In other news, water is wet
May 16, 2025 at 1:10 PM
In other news, water is wet
Another fun thing about my job is that I sometimes (ok this once) get to go to Fiji on short notice.
April 25, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Another fun thing about my job is that I sometimes (ok this once) get to go to Fiji on short notice.
Hmmm I wonder *why* those National Assembly employees are spraying fire extinguishers at soldiers? Any theories, Fox News? Gordon?
April 12, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Hmmm I wonder *why* those National Assembly employees are spraying fire extinguishers at soldiers? Any theories, Fox News? Gordon?
Great way to capstone a few weeks of discussing nuclear weapons with Europeans Spent my last day in the UK waiting for a flight and found myself in a cafe with random books among the walls. Opened one on random to find this classic from Yes Minister:
![Book page from ”Yes Minister”
January 25th
Tonight I asked Professor Issac Rosenblum up to my flat for a late drink. And now my mind is reeling. It's not very often in politics that you meet, and talk to, a genuine intellectual. I used to be a polytechnic lecturer, and you don't get very many intelligent conversations in academic life either. [Hacker, it seems, regarded polytechnics as part of academic life - Ed.] There are a few intellectuals in both walks of life, of course, but politicians never dare own up to it and academics prefer gossip anyway.
Professor Rosenblum is a small wiry elderly man. He is in his mid-seventies, lean, bright-eyed, and with a mind like a steel trap. I felt like an undergraduate at a tutorial. But I certainly learned a thing or two, and I believe that tonight's discussion will have a decisive effect on the future of my government and of this country. There will be changes made. Hacker was so excited when dictating this entry into his diary that he completely forgot about the Civil Service - Ed.] He popped in to Number Ten this evening, long after Humphrey had gone home.' I arranged with the security people that he should be allowed in through the back door, as there's always press watching the front.
He began by asking me if I believed in the nuclear deterrent.
"Yes,' I said.
'Why?' he asked.
I didn't quite know what to say. I mean, everyone believes in the nuclear deterrent. I asked him to repeat his question.
'Why?' he asked again.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:lm4btmrxdgcz5wzr3kcsnagx/bafkreibialmp3vngzxksa7vlz6ejvglr6hljfczc66yqp675uhtch4qoey@jpeg)
!['Because ... it deters,' I replied, weakly.
'Whom?'
I'd never before met anyone who spoke in such short sentences.
You never find them in politics, nor in academic life either. But I couldn't see quite what he was driving at.
'I beg your pardon?' I asked.
"Whom?' he asked again. He could see I didn't understand. He clarified his question. 'Whom does it deter?'
It seemed obvious to me. 'The Russians. From attacking us.'
'Why?' There it was again, that irritating little word. Why what? I played for time. 'I beg your pardon?' I asked.
'Why?'
Why does the deterrent deter the Russians from attacking us, that's what he was asking. 'Because,' I replied firmly, 'they know that if they launch an attack I'd press the button.' You would?' He sounded surprised.
Well I hesitated, 'wouldn't I?'
'Well, would you?'
'In the last resort, yes. Definitely.' I thought again. 'At least I think I definitely would.'
His questions continued relentlessly. I had to think carefully.
Hacker was out of practice at this - Ed.]
"And what is the last resort?'
If the Russians invade Western Europe.' That at least seemed quite obvious.
Professor Rosenblum smiled. 'But you would only have twelve hours to decide. So, the last resort is also the first response, is that what you're saying?'
Was that what I was saying? It seemed crazy.
The Chief Scientific Adviser stared at me critically. 'Well, you don't need to worry. Why should the Russians try to annex the whole of Europe? They can't even control Afghanistan? He shook his head.
'No. If they try anything it will be salami tactics.'
Salami tactics was the description customarily given to slice by slice manoeuvres, i.e. not a full scale invasion of the West, but the annexation of one small piece at a time.
Rosenblum stood up. He paced enthusiastically up and down my living-room, a glass of orange juice in hand, expounding an assortment of defence scenarios. First, he postulated riots in West Berlin,](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:lm4btmrxdgcz5wzr3kcsnagx/bafkreicnghpbw2blvdf2xax7zthondqmzcmhpnczyfn5klltv44lafh6ae@jpeg)
March 31, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Great way to capstone a few weeks of discussing nuclear weapons with Europeans Spent my last day in the UK waiting for a flight and found myself in a cafe with random books among the walls. Opened one on random to find this classic from Yes Minister:
The latest updated list I can find seems to be from 2017. Not very pivotal-state energy for South Korea to end up in this company if the reporting is confirmed: www.energy.gov/sites/prod/f...
March 10, 2025 at 5:38 AM
The latest updated list I can find seems to be from 2017. Not very pivotal-state energy for South Korea to end up in this company if the reporting is confirmed: www.energy.gov/sites/prod/f...
Super interesting! Do you know if the MoD clarification they requested here is available somewhere?
February 23, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Super interesting! Do you know if the MoD clarification they requested here is available somewhere?
I take that back
February 14, 2025 at 5:28 AM
I take that back
Vi faller alla för Kahneman’s s-kurva
February 13, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Vi faller alla för Kahneman’s s-kurva
There is no reason to worry, the experts are on the case, and assure us that the checks and balances of the democratic system would totally restrain any future decisionmaker in Korea from using a nuclear weapon. Somehow.
February 5, 2025 at 10:37 AM
There is no reason to worry, the experts are on the case, and assure us that the checks and balances of the democratic system would totally restrain any future decisionmaker in Korea from using a nuclear weapon. Somehow.
January 31, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Vad bra att det finns regler man kan luta sig mot när man slår en ung människas liv i spillror! Då kan ju denna byråkrat somna gott på kvällen och vakna glatt och gå till jobbet nästa dag.
January 27, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Vad bra att det finns regler man kan luta sig mot när man slår en ung människas liv i spillror! Då kan ju denna byråkrat somna gott på kvällen och vakna glatt och gå till jobbet nästa dag.
This is so fking RICH coming a week after the world’s wealthiest men sat front row to the inauguration of the man who will let them run roughshod over people’s personal lives and resell it as ”empowerment ”
January 26, 2025 at 10:54 AM
This is so fking RICH coming a week after the world’s wealthiest men sat front row to the inauguration of the man who will let them run roughshod over people’s personal lives and resell it as ”empowerment ”
Na Kyungwon, PPP National Assembly member:
"At last year's party congress, I argued that (our own) nuclear weapons will be needed to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program. We do not want nuclear weapons for the sake of having them. If North Korea disarms, we will also disarm."
"At last year's party congress, I argued that (our own) nuclear weapons will be needed to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program. We do not want nuclear weapons for the sake of having them. If North Korea disarms, we will also disarm."
January 25, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Na Kyungwon, PPP National Assembly member:
"At last year's party congress, I argued that (our own) nuclear weapons will be needed to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program. We do not want nuclear weapons for the sake of having them. If North Korea disarms, we will also disarm."
"At last year's party congress, I argued that (our own) nuclear weapons will be needed to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program. We do not want nuclear weapons for the sake of having them. If North Korea disarms, we will also disarm."
Hong Joon-pyo, former presidential candidate, and also likely to take a shot this time:
"It's a misguided policy to insist that we don't have the nuclear weapons that North Korea already has."
"The economy is a matter of making a living, but security is a matter of living or dying."
"It's a misguided policy to insist that we don't have the nuclear weapons that North Korea already has."
"The economy is a matter of making a living, but security is a matter of living or dying."
January 25, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Hong Joon-pyo, former presidential candidate, and also likely to take a shot this time:
"It's a misguided policy to insist that we don't have the nuclear weapons that North Korea already has."
"The economy is a matter of making a living, but security is a matter of living or dying."
"It's a misguided policy to insist that we don't have the nuclear weapons that North Korea already has."
"The economy is a matter of making a living, but security is a matter of living or dying."