TOP NEWS Fear and Hope in South Korea on Eve of Summit With Kim Jong-un New York Times Emmanuel Macron to Press Trump to Keep Iran Nuclear Deal New York Times Russia, China to obstruct U.S. attempt to sabotage Iran nuclear deal: TASS Reuters We’re all preparing for the Trump-Kim summit to go wrong. But what if it goes right? Washington PostSam Nunn and Richard Lugar EAST ASIA US and North Korea expectations over denuclearization appear to collide The Guardian4/23/18 US and North Korean expectations for a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un appear set on a collision course after the North Korean leader pledged to keep his country’s nuclear arsenal for generations. Trump-Kim Talks Must Overcome Long History of Failure: QuickTake Washington Post4/24/18 Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un preparing to meet face-to-face is a prospect that seemed unthinkable just a year ago, when the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea were exchanging insults and threats. G-7 foreign ministers say North Korean nuclear and missile suspension is not enough Japan Times4/24/18 Group of Seven foreign ministers pledged Monday to maintain “maximum pressure” on North Korea to compel it to give up its nuclear and missile programs, determining that Pyongyang’s decision to suspend nuclear tests and long-range missile launches is not sufficient to meet the demands of the international community. Fear and Hope in South Korea on Eve of Summit With Kim Jong-un New York Times4/24/18 As South Koreans prepare for their president to meet Kim Jong-un on Friday, many are left scratching their heads about the motives of a North Korean leader who has abruptly pivoted from threats of nuclear annihilation to offering warm peace overtures. MIDDLE EAST Emmanuel Macron to Press Trump to Keep Iran Nuclear Deal New York Times4/23/18 President Trump will come under increasing pressure from visiting French and German leaders this week not to scrap the three-year-old nuclear agreement with Iran next month as American and European negotiators make tentative progress toward a new deal to toughen the limits on Tehran. Russia, China to obstruct U.S. attempt to sabotage Iran nuclear deal: TASS Reuters4/23/18 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday he had agreed with his Chinese counterpart that Moscow and Beijing would try to block any U.S. attempt to sabotage the Iran nuclear deal, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Iran Might Withdraw From NPT if Nuclear Deal Is Scrapped: Senior Official US News4/24/18 Iran might withdraw from the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) if U.S. President Donald Trump scraps the nuclear deal Tehran signed with world powers in 2015, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said on Tuesday. Russia ramps up pressure on Trump to honor Iran nuclear deal CNN4/23/18 Russia joined a chorus of voices Monday urging US President Donald Trump to stand by the Iran nuclear deal, as Tehran sent a stern warning that it was an “all or nothing” situation. MULTILATERAL ARMS CONTROL Nuclear test ban monitor says he sees hope of Iran joining treaty Reuters4/23/18 Iran may be interested in joining a key nuclear treaty if the United States withdraws its threat to rip up an existing deal on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the head of the CTBTO nuclear watchdog said on Monday. U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY Experts Say AI Could Raise the Risks of Nuclear War Defense One4/24/18 A new RAND report says ideas like mutually assured destruction and minimal deterrence strategy offer a lot less assurance in the age of intelligent software. OPINION AND ANALYSIS The Prime Minister, the President, and North Korea 38NorthDaniel Bob 4/23/18 While Abe hopes and expects that Trump will follow through on his pledges regarding his summit with Kim, Japan is taking other steps to advance its interests and address the threats posed by Pyongyang. The past 3 days of surprising North Korea news, explained VoxAlex Ward 4/23/18 The end of North Korean nuclear tests? Did North Korea agree to denuclearize? Why did Trump send that angry tweet? Listen to Emmanuel Macron: Keep Iran nuclear deal USA Today4/23/18 If Donald Trump jettisons nukes accord, why would Kim Jong Un reach a deal on North Korea? Macron knows U.S. foreign policy is always about Trump Washington PostJennifer Rubin 4/23/18 Faced with the choice between lecturing Trump and manipulating Trump’s giant, predictable personal neediness, Macron chose the latter. DPRK’s Closing the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site: No, it is not a Case of Passing Off Damaged Goods 38North4/23/18 North Korea’s Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, where North Korea has conducted six acknowledged underground detonations is still, as far as we can tell, fully operational. Why a Trump-Kim Deal Has a Good Shot Bloomberg4/23/18 Bridging the gap with enemy countries requires a key U.S. ally to be on board. The Nuclear Risks of India-Pakistan Rivalry in South Asia Military.com4/23/18 Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, which proceeded both those of Tehran and Pyongyang, and which supplied invaluable assistance to jumpstart both those programs, may prove to be just as dangerous and just as destabilizing as those of North Korea and Iran. We’re all preparing for the Trump-Kim summit to go wrong. But what if it goes right? Washington PostSam Nunn and Richard Lugar 4/23/18 A successful summit, if it can be achieved, will be only the start of a long and complicated process. Nuclear misconceptions must not inform US weapons policy The HillPeter Huessy 4/23/18 An informed debate about our nuclear deterrent policy is welcome, especially on an issue that is so critical to the nation’s security. An Unpredictable Trump and a Risk-Prone Kim Mean High Stakes and Mismatched Expectations New York Times4/23/18 The meeting will also exemplify a world that is less constrained by the usual guardrails of international norms or policy processes — a world in which virtually anything can happen. Has Trump figured out a winning strategy on North Korea? Washington PostGabriel Glickman 4/22/18 President Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is an outside-the-box idea that breaks with decades of U.S. policy — but it just might work, as evidenced by Friday’s announcement that North Korea would halt its nuclear weapons testing, though some experts have expressed significant skepticism about that announcement.