Top News: ANALYSIS: Plutonium pits are a critical obstacle in U.S. nuclear plans Foreign Policy OPINION: Iran nukes the case for a Biden deal The Wall Street Journal ANALYSIS: Trilateral arms control: A realistic assessment of Chinese participation Stimson Center United States ANALYSIS: Conventional-nuclear integration: Avoiding misconceptions and mistakes War on the RocksGregory Giles 8/10/21 What if a nuclear-armed adversary believed that U.S. conventional forces were so vulnerable that using just a handful of nuclear weapons against them would be enough to win a regional conflict? If the Department of Defense did nothing to reduce that vulnerability, wouldn’t it be inviting that sort of attack? ANALYSIS: Plutonium pits are a critical obstacle in U.S. nuclear plans Foreign PolicyCheryl Rofer 8/9/21 Modernization programs need to be realistic—and may be unnecessary. ANALYSIS: Congressional perspectives on U.S. policy toward North Korea and denuclearization of the Korean peninsula Arms Control AssociationKelsey Davenport with Julia Masterson August 2021 Using survey data and in-depth interviews from the late months of 2020, this report provides insight into how Congress views the North Korean nuclear threat and U.S. approaches to engaging with Pyongyang. More clarity into Congressional views and attitudes may lead to more effective policymaking. OPINION: Blinken’s warning on China’s nukes The Wall Street JournalThe Editorial Board 8/9/21 Its growing ICBM arsenal is finally on the Administration’s radar. East Asia North Korea threatens to boost nuclear program ahead of drills between U.S. and ‘perfidious’ South The Washington Post8/10/21 The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned Tuesday that Pyongyang could move to bolster its nuclear and conventional weapons program in response to a major joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea set for this month. Middle East Iran’s Raisi urges Macron to guarantee Tehran’s ‘rights’ in nuclear deal talks The Times of Israel8/9/21 In his first phone call with a Western leader, the new president of Iran asked his French counterpart Monday to help secure Iran’s “rights” in now-stalled talks to revive Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. ANALYSIS: Iran nuclear capability is more likely bluff than bombs The ConversationChristoph Bluth 8/10/21 For the Biden administration, the only path to effectively prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb is a return to an enhanced nuclear agreement with Iran. OPINION: Iran nukes the case for a Biden deal The Wall Street JournalWalter Russell Mead 8/10/21 Its rulers see little advantage in rejoining an agreement the U.S. can reverse at will. International Affairs Prospects for nuclear weapons most dangerous since cold war, Secretary-General tells Nagasaki Peace Memorial, stressing persisting shadow of ‘mushroom cloud’ United Nations Meetings Coverage and Press Releases8/9/21 Prospects for the use of nuclear weapons are as dangerous as at any time since the height of the cold war. States are racing to create more powerful weapons and broadening the potential scenarios for their use. War‑like rhetoric is turned up to maximum volume while dialogue is on mute. ANALYSIS: Trilateral arms control: A realistic assessment of Chinese participation Stimson CenterDavid C. Logan 8/9/21 In the short term, parallel bilateral talks with China and Russia—with an emphasis on risk reduction and crisis management—may be the most practical path forward to signing successful arms control arrangements between the three countries.