TOP NEWS US, North Korean Envoys to Meet Again Before Second Trump-Kim Summit The Diplomat With Questions on Syria, Nuclear Treaty, Shanahan Heads to NATO Military Times How Scientists Actually Dismantle a Nuclear Bomb Discover Magazine East Asia US, North Korean Envoys to Meet Again Before Second Trump-Kim Summit The Diplomat2/11//2019 Following a meeting last week, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will meet his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok Chol, the special representative for U.S. Affairs of North Korea’s State Affairs Commission, before a second U.S.-North Korea summit. South Korea Signs Deal To Pay More For U.S. Troops After Trump Demand Reuters2/10/2019 Officials signed a short-term agreement on Sunday to boost South Korea’s contribution toward the upkeep of U.S. troops on the peninsula, after a previous deal lapsed amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for the South to pay more. Vietnam foreign minister to visit North Korea from February 12 to 14 Reuters2/11/2019 Vietnam’s foreign minister, Pham Binh Minh, will visit North Korea ahead of this month’s planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, a spokeswoman said on Monday. Russia/FSU/Europe Russia May Have Violated The INF Treaty. Here’s How The United States Appears To Have Done The Same. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists2/7/2019 The offensive capabilities of the US missile defense installations in Eastern Europe are key to understanding the US-Russia standoff over the INF. U.S. Nuclear Policy With questions on Syria, nuclear treaty, Shanahan heads to NATO Military Times2/10/2019 Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan heads to NATO this week to reassure allies that the U.S. path on key security issues remains steady, amid major policy shifts in Syria, Afghanistan and its recent withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty. Opinion and Analysis No Winner in a New Arms Race New York Times – the Editorial Board2/10/2019 The NYT Editorial Board writes: “Outspending Russia on a nuclear arms race, as Mr. Trump has bragged he would do, or abandoning an arms control regime that has helped forestall nuclear war for decades, is a foolish game of chicken, with no possible winners.” The INF Treaty Has Been Nixed. What’s Next? (Op-ed) The Moscow Times – Dmitoy Stefanovich2/11/2019 Both sides are planning new missile systems after historic pullout from arms treaty. Special Interest Nuclear Winter Is Still A Hot Topic As A New Arms Race Heats Up The Verge2/8/2019 It’s a subject worth talking about says Richard Turco, a professor emeritus at UCLA and one of the authors of the 1983 scientific paper that first proposed the idea. “Although there is a relatively low probability of nuclear winter happening, the potential consequences would be catastrophic — namely the destruction of human civilization,” Turco says in an email to The Verge. How Scientists Actually Dismantle a Nuclear Bomb Discover Magazine2/09/2019 Nuclear disassembly is a coordinated process, which involves politicians, scientists and engineers working together.