TOP NEWS Putin says Russia ready to extend New START nuclear arms treaty Reuters Iran faces tougher stance from Europe over nuclear deal violations Wall Street Journal ANALYSIS: Inter-Korean relations: How North Korea is conditioning South Korea for its own strategic benefit 38 North ANALYSIS: Rafael Grossi isn’t America’s—or Iran’s, or North Korea’s—man Foreign Policy United States OPINION: Here’s an idea: Scrap America’s nuclear-armed ICBMs National InterestDavid Axe 12/6/19 America’s 450 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles are the least necessary of the country’s roughly 650 nuclear delivery systems, which also include air-delivered missiles and bombs and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Russia Putin says Russia ready to extend New START nuclear arms treaty Reuters12/5/19 Russia is ready to extend the New START nuclear arms control treaty by the end of this year without any more conditions or discussion, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, appearing to drop Moscow’s earlier defiant tone. OPINION: A new nuclear deal? Start with New START Defense OneDaryl Kimball 12/5/19 There is no realistic possibility of concluding a new trilateral deal with Russia and China before New START expires in 2021. Middle East Iran faces tougher stance from Europe over nuclear deal violations Wall Street Journal12/6/19 France, Britain and Germany will ratchet up pressure on Iran in coming weeks by triggering a dispute mechanism if Tehran continues its prohibited moves away from the 2015 nuclear deal, diplomats say. Europeans, Iran to cross swords at nuclear talks Reuters12/5/19 European powers will demand at talks on Friday that Iran stop violating their nuclear deal or risk renewed U.N. sanctions, but with Tehran angry over a lack of European protection from U.S. sanctions, there appeared to be scant scope for compromise. East Asia U.S. expert calls for ‘tailored sanctions relief’ on path to N.K. denuclearization Yonhap News Agency12/5/19 Siegfried S. Hecker, a renowned American nuclear scientist, called Thursday for “tailored” sanctions relief for North Korea to promote inter-Korean economic exchanges and make progress in efforts to denuclearize the communist nation. ANALYSIS: Inter-Korean relations: How North Korea is conditioning South Korea for its own strategic benefit 38 NorthGo Myong-Hyun 12/5/19 Although the world witnessed three inter-Korean summits and two US-DPRK summits, these were made possible because the United States and South Korea essentially agreed to set aside the thorny issue of denuclearization; and the leaders have benefited politically. South Asia New IAEA collaborating center in Pakistan to assist in applications of nuclear technologies IAEA12/5/19 With a cooperation agreement signed today, the IAEA has designated the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) as an IAEA Collaborating Center to support Member States on research, development and capacity building in the application of advanced and innovative nuclear technologies. OPINION: India’s harebrained nuclear behavior Modern DiplomacyShamsa Nawaz 12/5/19 Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) manifesto of 2014 in relation to India’s nuclear doctrine urged its stated nuclear doctrine of No First Use (NFU) to change and emphasized massive retaliation. Multilateral Arms Control/Nonproliferation OPINION: Arms agreements must adapt to contemporary threats National Institute for Public PolicyRebeccah L. Heinrichs 12/3/19 We have entered a new missile era, one with different challenges, and a dynamic threat environment, perhaps it makes sense for President Trump to appoint a Special Envoy on Arms Control to tackle these challenges and to wrestle a better deal for the country, and to do so with a sense of urgency and purpose. ANALYSIS: Today, everyone’s a nuclear spy The AtlanticAmy Zegart 12/6/19 Nuclear intelligence isn’t just for government agencies anymore. Self-appointed watchdogs are finding creative ways to foil regimes that pursue atomic weapons. ANALYSIS: Rafael Grossi isn’t America’s—or Iran’s, or North Korea’s—man Foreign PolicyStephanie Liechtenstein 12/5/19 The new head of the IAEA was the United States’ preferred candidate. But, as global tensions rise, he quickly needs to prove his independence.