TOP NEWS Mattis talks diplomacy on North Korea ahead of Trump’s Asia tour Reuters House votes to impose non-nuclear sanctions on Iran The Hill Democrats push bill to stop a Trump pre-emptive strike on North Korea The Guardian EAST ASIA Mattis talks diplomacy on North Korea ahead of Trump’s Asia tour Reuters10/26/17 U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis emphasized diplomatic efforts to resolve the North Korean missile and nuclear crisis as he stood at the tense and heavily fortified border between North and South on Friday, saying: “Our goal is not war.” South Korean opposition leader calls for ‘freedom nuclear alliance’ The Washington Post10/27/17 The United States, South Korea and Japan should establish a “freedom nuclear alliance,” with atomic weapons deployed in all three countries to counter the rising North Korea threat, according to the leader of South Korea’s main opposition party. MIDDLE EAST House votes to impose non-nuclear sanctions on Iran The Hill10/26/17 The House passed legislation on Thursday to expand sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile development and support for Hezbollah, weeks after President Trump declined to certify that Tehran is complying with an international accord to curb its nuclear program. RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE After Iran shock, nervous Europe girds for next Trump salvo Reuters10/27/17 Following Donald Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran nuclear deal this month, shaken European capitals are asking themselves what the U.S. president will do next. Russia Test Fires 4 Intercontinental-Range Ballistic Missiles The Diplomat10/27/17 Thursday, the Russian military test fired three intercontinental-range ballistic missiles (ICBM) as part of a routine exercise of the Russian strategic nuclear forces, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in an October 26 statement. U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY Pence to Tour North Dakota’s Nuclear Weapons Base U.S. News and World Report10/27/17 Vice President Mike Pence is headed for North Dakota’s Minot Air Force Base, the second time in six weeks that a top Trump administration official has visited the nuclear weapons base. Democrats push bill to stop a Trump pre-emptive strike on North Korea The Guardian10/26/17 Congressional Democrats have introduced legislation aimed at preventing Donald Trump from launching a pre-emptive attack on North Korea, as concerns grew about the administration’s failure to explore talks with Pyongyang. OPINION AND ANALYSIS Contain, Enforce, and Engage: An Integrated U.S. Strategy to Address Iran’s Nuclear and Regional Challenges Carnegie Endowment for International Peace10/26/17 The Iran nuclear deal is merely the cornerstone of a broader, longer-term strategy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to diminish and counter Iran’s threatening behavior—from its growing ballistic missile arsenal, to its dangerous use of regional proxies, to its human rights abuses at home. SPECIAL INTEREST Disarming the World Al Jazeera10/27/17 Over the past century, the weapons that cause “unjustifiable” suffering in an indiscriminate and “unpredictable” manner have been subject to multilateral treaties that aim to disarm countries that possess them and control or ban the use of these weapons altogether.