TOP NEWS Pompeo says North Korea sanctions to remain until complete denuclearization Reuters North Korea’s dispersed and hidden weapons complex highlights the challenge of denuclearization Washington Post Iranians Wonder: Why Won’t Trump Talk to Us? New York Times Trump poised to get new low-yield nuclear weapons Washington Post EAST ASIA Pompeo criticizes ‘insulting and ridiculous and, frankly, ludicrous’ question The Hill6/13/18 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted a reporter on Wednesday after the journalist asked why the denuclearization of North Korea was not included in an agreement signed between the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and President Trump. Pompeo says North Korea sanctions to remain until complete denuclearization Reuters6/13/18 Tough sanctions will remain on North Korea until its complete denuclearization, the U.S. secretary of state said on Thursday, apparently contradicting the North’s view that the process agreed at this week’s summit would be phased and reciprocal. No, Bill Clinton did not give North Korea $3 billion for nothing, as Donald Trump said Poltifact6/13/18 Did Clinton spend $3 billion on North Korea and accomplish “nothing”? That’s incorrect for several reasons. North Korea’s dispersed and hidden weapons complex highlights the challenge of denuclearization Washington Post6/13/18 The warheads — at least 20 in number, and perhaps as many as 60 — remain for now in their bunkers, somewhere in the rugged hills north of Pyongyang. Until today, there has been no public pledge from North Korea to dismantle them, or to allow inspectors to see them, or even to disclose where they are kept. Ex-spy or genteel diplomat? North Korea’s choices for nuclear talks with Pompeo Reuters6/13/18 Two of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s closest aides – a former military intelligence chief and the country’s foreign minister – are being talked of as the most likely candidates to negotiate with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on denuclearization. China says its proposal practical after Trump says to halt Korean drills Reuters6/13/18 China said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would halt military exercises on the Korean peninsula shows China’s “dual suspension” proposal is practical and tenable. The Silence of John Bolton The Atlantic6/13/18 President Trump’s diplomacy with North Korea shows little sign of his hawkish national-security adviser’s influence. MIDDLE EAST Iranians Wonder: Why Won’t Trump Talk to Us? New York Times6/13/18 After the handshakes, the signature ceremony and the diplomatic pomp of the historic meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea, many Iranians could come to only one conclusion: We should talk, too. SOUTH ASIA Can India Make Headway in the Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2018? The Diplomat6/14/18 Despite New Delhi’s continued hopes and some encouraging signs, significant challenges remain. U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY Half of Americans back Trump’s handling of North Korea – Reuters/Ipsos poll Reuters6/13/18 Just over half of all Americans say they approve of how President Donald Trump has handled North Korea, but only a quarter think that his summit this week with Kim Jong Un will lead to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Wednesday. Trump poised to get new low-yield nuclear weapons Washington Post6/13/18 The new low-yield nuclear warheads that President Trump wants to add to the American arsenal look poised to receive backing from Congress, despite an outcry from anti-nuclear advocates and attempts by Democratic lawmakers to defund or limit their introduction. New sub-launched nuke clears congressional hurdle Defense News6/13/18 The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to scuttle legislation that would have forced the Trump administration to seek congressional approval for a new low-yield, tactical nuclear weapon. OPINION AND ANALYSIS The Surreal Summit in Singapore National InterestJoe Cirincione 6/13/18 To turn television props into sound policy, the administration will need all the help it can get. After the Singapore summit pageantry, work still required The HillJohn Tierney 6/14/18 If diplomacy is to be effective in the coming months, substance must now be front and center. Donald Trump Actually Seems to Believe He Denuclearized North Korea The AtlanticUri Friedman 6/13/18 The president claims the nuclear threat is gone, but that’s not what he achieved in Singapore. Mike Pompeo, Cleanup On Aisle 38 Foreign Policy6/13/18 The secretary of state now has to deal with the fallout of the rushed agreement with North Korea. Now, it’s time to deliver Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists6/13/18 The high-level goals listed in the joint statement Trump and Kim issued after their meeting are extremely vague, but concrete steps are required, if the nuclear risk that North Korea poses to the United States and the international community is to be reduced. The Singapore summit is over. Let the bribery begin Washington PostIsaac Stone Fish 6/13/18 What might Kim want in exchange for good behavior – more than sanctions relief, international legitimacy, or a White House state dinner? If Anyone Gets the Nobel, It’s Moon and Kim Foreign PolicyDoug Bandow 6/13/18 Koreans deserve the credit for peace on the peninsula, not Trump. Kim Got What He Wanted in Singapore. Trump Didn’t. Foreign PolicyWilliam Tobey 6/13/18 The G-7 and Singapore summits have put on display breathtaking strategic incoherence and appalling moral vacuity on the part of the Trump administration. The Singapore Summit’s Failure on North Korean Human Rights The DiplomatJohn Sifton 6/14/18 Romancing Kim in Singapore won’t denuclearize North Korea or improve its human rights record. I Was a Navy Admiral. Here’s Why Ending ‘War Games’ With South Korea Would Be a Grave Mistake Yahoo NewsJames Stavridis 6/12/18 After decades as a senior military officer, I cannot imagine simply stopping these useful, sensible and necessary military exercises without first seeing tangible progress in terms of not only denuclearization by North Korea, but also demilitarization by that nation, which fields the fourth-largest army in the world. Trump’s refreshing admission that he felt ‘foolish’ when taunting Kim Jong Un Washington PostCallum Borchers 6/13/18 Trump’s acknowledgment that he “felt foolish” when taunting Kim was a rare nod to the validity of critics’ views. US national security is not dependent on the outcome of the summit The HillCharles Peña 6/13/18 Whether or not President Trump is actually able to negotiate a deal that results in North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons and program, the United States remains secure. Why Iran will choose to negotiate with Trump Washington PostZalmay Khalilzad 6/13/18 The Trump administration’s approach has a reasonable chance of succeeding with Iran. Ending US-ROK Military Exercises: An Idea Whose Time Has Come 38 NorthWilliam McKinney 6/13/18 The president deserves credit for taking a long overdue and politically difficult step. Bolt out of the blue: nuclear attack warning in the era of information and cyber warfare War on the RocksFrank Nuño and Vaughn Standley 6/14/18 The way forward is to train operators for actual surprise, prioritize nuclear attack warning R&D, enforce strict adherence to acquisition regulations, and let go of the outmoded reflex to classify as secret anything to do with nuclear detonation detection.