TOP NEWS ‘We’re Reaching the Climax of This Issue.’ Korea Expert Victor Cha on the Prospects of Peace on the Peninsula Time Pace of Disarmament Stands as Major Obstacle in North Korea Talks Wall Street Journal Top Aide to Kim Jong-un Is Bound for U.S., Trump Says New York Times 20 Years After Pokhran-II: Have Nuclear Weapons Made India More Secure? The Diplomat EAST ASIA CIA report says North Korea won’t denuclearize, but might open a burger joint NBC5/30/18 Trump continues to pursue a summit with Kim Jong Un even though the CIA casts doubt on his stated goal for the meeting, eliminating North Korea’s nukes. Pompeo to Meet With High-Ranking North Korean Ahead of Summit Wall Street Journal5/29/18 As part of his preparations for the potential summit, Trump will also meet with Japan’s leader on June 7 ‘We’re Reaching the Climax of This Issue.’ Korea Expert Victor Cha on the Prospects of Peace on the Peninsula Time5/30/18 “It’s not hard to get a deal with North Korea” Cha maintains, but “the real question for the president is: are we going to pretend that they got rid of [their nuclear capability], or are we going to make certain that whatever agreement is reached, this will not be a threat to the American people or to U.S. allies?” Pace of Disarmament Stands as Major Obstacle in North Korea Talks Wall Street Journal5/30/18 U.S. is pushing for complete denuclearization as quickly as possible; North appears to want a slower process Satellite Images Show North Korea Scrubbed Nuclear Test Site Before Unilaterally Destroying It Daily Beast5/30/18 Donald Trump said destroying the site was ‘a very smart and gracious gesture.’ Experts say it looks more like an attempt to cover up work that’s already been accomplished. Top Aide to Kim Jong-un Is Bound for U.S., Trump Says New York Times5/29/18 North Korea’s top nuclear weapons negotiator was headed for New York on Tuesday and plans to meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as officials race to settle on an agenda for a June 12 summit meeting between the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and President Trump in Singapore. MIDDLE EAST How Trump Could Revive the Iranian Regime The AtlanticKarim Sadjadpour 5/29/18 A policy seemingly aimed at bringing about the collapse of the government could backfire. RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE Russia’s foreign minister is headed to North Korea CNN5/30/18 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit North Korea on Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, the latest move in Pyongyang’s push for diplomatic rapprochement. SOUTH ASIA 20 Years After Pokhran-II: Have Nuclear Weapons Made India More Secure? The Diplomat5/30/18 20 years later, what are the effects of India’s nuclear weapons on South Asia’s security environment? OPINION AND ANALYSIS Trump and North Korea: Total denuclearization must remain the goal Defense NewsLori Murray 5/29/18 While the collapse of the Donald Trump-Kim Jung Un summit should cause the president to reconsider how to prepare for head of state summits, it should not alter the Trump administration’s strategic objective of complete and permanent denuclearization of North Korea for several important reasons. Trump should listen to intelligence veterans’ sound advice on North Korea Washington PostJennifer Rubin 5/29/18 Taking a step back, the administration needs to decide what it wants to obtain.