TOP NEWS Trump Opens Door, Just Slightly, to Talking With North Korea New York Times The White House’s ‘bloody nose’ strategy on North Korea sounds Trumpian. So why do his aides hate it? Washington Post Rewrite Iran Deal? Europeans Offer a Different Solution: A New Chapter New York Times EAST ASIA U.S. must first dismantle nuclear arsenal: DPRK official daily Xinhua2/27/18 The official media of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Tuesday that the United States should dismantle its nuclear arsenal first if it truly desires a nuclear weapons-free world. South Korea Urges North to Abandon Nuclear Weapons, Allow Family Visits US News2/26/18 North Korea must heed the call by major powers to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and allow peace to take root on the divided peninsula, South Korea’s foreign minister said on Monday. Trump says talks with N. Korea only under right conditions Yonhap News Agency2/27/18 U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that talks with North Korea are possible only under the right conditions. Trump Opens Door, Just Slightly, to Talking With North Korea New York Times2/27/18 North Koreas declaration at the end of the Winter Olympics of its willingness to start a dialogue with the United States offered a sliver of optimism that the political pageantry of the Games would lead to more substantial results. The White House’s ‘bloody nose’ strategy on North Korea sounds Trumpian. So why do his aides hate it? Washington Post2/26/18 Trump administration officials have insisted repeatedly — in classified briefings to Congress and in public testimony — that they’ve never said it, don’t like it and would never support it. US’ top North Korea diplomat announces surprise retirement CNN2/27/18 The US State Department’s top diplomat in charge of North Korea policy is retiring at the end of the week. U.N. Links North Korea to Syria’s Chemical Weapon Program New York Times2/27/18 North Korea has been shipping supplies to the Syrian government that could be used in the production of chemical weapons, United Nations experts contend. MIDDLE EAST Rewrite Iran Deal? Europeans Offer a Different Solution: A New Chapter New York Times2/26/18 President Trump’s threat to rip up the Iran nuclear deal has touched off an urgent scramble in European capitals to preserve the agreement — not by rewriting it, but by creating a successor deal intended to halt Iran’s ballistic missile program and make permanent the restrictions on its ability to produce nuclear fuel. Europeans Dig In Against New Iran Sanctions Risking Nuclear Deal Bloomberg2/26/18 European allies, pressed by President Donald Trump’s administration to impose tough new sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program, are digging in against moves that would effectively void the 2015 nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic. RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE Trump blames Russia for aiding North Korea, says Moscow undercuts efforts to sanction Kim Jong Un Newsweek2/26/18 During a press conference Monday, President Donald Trump slammed Moscow for aiding North Korea. MULTILATERAL ARMS CONTROL U.N. chief preparing new push towards ending nuclear weapons Reuters2/26/18 The world needs a new effort to get rid of nuclear weapons, although many states wrongly think they make the world safer, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Monday. U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY Nuclear Posture Review Looks to Deter War, Policy Chief Says DOD2/26/18 The goal of the Nuclear Posture Review, unveiled earlier this month, is to deter war, David J. Trachtenberg, deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, said at the Heritage Foundation here today. OPINION AND ANALYSIS A ‘bloody nose’ attack in Korea would have lasting consequences BrookingsMichael O’Hanlon and James Kirchick 2/26/18 A preventive U.S. attack in Korea, especially if it were undertaken unilaterally by Washington and even more so if it led to general war, would change everything. Preventing a nuclear meltdown in the Middle East The HillKenneth Luongo 2/26/18 U.S. geopolitical and nuclear nonproliferation objectives are on a potential collision course as Saudi Arabia seeks to join the Middle East’s growing nuclear power club by soliciting bids for the construction of two reactors. Making Sense of Chinese Reactions to the US 2018 Nuclear Posture Review The DiplomatRaymond Wang 2/27/18 From the Chinese perspective, I contend that the NPR has tried, and failed, to strike a balance between signaling to China that the low-yield option is primarily directed against a Russian “escalate to de-escalate” doctrine on one hand, while attributing “limited use” intentions to China in order to justify developing “graduated response options” on the other.