Angelo State Prof Publishes Book on the Threat of North Korea

SAN ANGELO, TX — Dr. Bruce Bechtol Jr. of the Angelo State University security studies faculty recently published his fifth book dealing with military and political issues in North Korea through the University Press of Kentucky.

In his newest book, “North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa: Enabling Violence and Instability,” Bechtol analyzes relevant North Korean military capabilities, what arms the nation provides and to whom, how it skirts its sanctions, and how North Korea’s activities can best be contained. He traces illicit networks that lead to state and non-state actors in the Middle East, including Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, and throughout Africa, including at least a dozen nations. He theorizes that North Korea presents a potentially greater risk to American interests by exporting its weapons systems to other volatile regions worldwide.

A professor of political science in ASU’s Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Security Studies, Bechtol is a retired U.S. Marine and former intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency. He is also an internationally known authority on North Korean military and political issues and is regularly quoted as an expert source by national and international news media.

A prolific researcher and author, Bechtol published four previous books:

• “North Korea and Regional Security in the Kim Jong-un Era” (2014)
• "The Last Days of Kim Jong-il: The North Korean Threat in a Changing Era” (2013)
• “Defiant Failed State: The North Korean Threat to National Security” (2010)
• “Red Rogue: The Persistent Challenge of North Korea” (2007)

He has also written chapters for nine other books, published more than 40 research articles in a wide variety of professional journals, and delivered more than 100 presentations at professional conferences and forums worldwide. He is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Korea Observer journal and the Board of Directors for the International Council on Korean Studies and the Council on U.S.-Korean Security Studies. A fellow of the Institute for Corean-American Studies, he holds a doctorate in national security studies from The Union Institute. All of Bechtol’s books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers.