Middlebury Institute Researcher Featured on NPR's ‘This American Life’

MIDDLEBURY, VT. – The Middlebury Institute’s Jeffrey Lewis, whose expertise on North Korea’s nuclear weapons has made him a favorite in the national news media, was featured in a story on the popular public radio show, This American Life, earlier in July. In an episode titled “To Be Real,” Lewis described his work trying to understand the state of North Korea’s armaments, but also the state of mind of the country’s leaders.

This American Life producer David Kestenbaum observed that, in a world that seems in denial over North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, Lewis–who is known for his candor and irreverent humor–was one of the few people speaking honestly and directly on the subject. Kestenbaum said he discovered Lewis through his podcast and blog, both titled “Arms Control Wonk.”

Lewis, the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, said that North Korea’s most recent test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which flew seven times higher than the International Space Station, was different from previous tests. “This one can hit the United States with a nuclear weapon,” Lewis told Kestenbaum. “This is a hell of a missile.”

Years of denial and inaction have left the U.S. with very poor options, says Lewis. No one wants nuclear war, yet no one wants to legitimize a government that, according to the United Nations Human Rights Council, has committed crimes against humanity.

For more information, visit Lewis’s blog or podcast at Arms Control Wonk.