Opinion

The coronavirus could be wreaking havoc on the world’s last Stalinist state

Olivia Schieber is the senior program manager of the foreign and defense policy department at the American Enterprise Institute.

In early March, North Korea triumphantly declared that it had absolutely no cases of the covid-19 virus. Yet most analysts agree that available evidence suggests the opposite. If the regime’s previous behavior in crises is any indication, we should expect it to respond with deceit, aggression and militarism, including increased arms-testing. Sadly, many North Koreans will likely die in the process.