Top News Pompeo hails ‘significant’ North Korea progress; experts skeptical Reuters Russia challenges US compliance with nuclear arms treaty The Washington Post Let’s get realistic on North Korea and Iran Brookings Institution East Asia North Korea Agrees to Allow Inspectors Into Nuclear Testing Site, Pompeo Says The New York Times10/7/18 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that in his meeting with Kim Jong-un on Sunday, the leader of North Korea had agreed to allow inspectors into a key nuclear testing site that the North has claimed it blew up, a down payment on the country’s commitment to denuclearize the country. Pompeo hails ‘significant’ North Korea progress; experts skeptical Reuters10/7/18 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday hailed “significant progress” in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the weekend and said the sides were “pretty close” to agreeing details for a second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump. Secretary of State Pompeo reassures Japan on the way to meet Kim in North Korea The Washington Post10/6/18 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday and reassured him Japan’s interests would not be forgotten as he heads to Pyongyang to continue talks over North Korea’s nuclear and missile program. Pompeo arrives in South Korea after nuclear talks in North Korea Reuters10/7/18 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in South Korea on Sunday after visiting North Korea, where he had expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and discuss how to dismantle Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. China tells US to stop criticism, says relations suffering The Washington Post10/8/18 Chinese officials appealed to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday to repair relations they said have been damaged by U.S. tariff hikes and support for Taiwan, as their governments press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Russia/FSU/Europe Russia challenges US compliance with nuclear arms treaty The Washington Post10/8/18 Russia on Monday challenged the U.S. claim that it has fulfilled its obligations under a pivotal nuclear arms deal, a new argument that could further fuel tensions between Moscow and Washington. Opinion and Analysis Let’s get realistic on North Korea and Iran Brookings InstitutionBob Einhorn 10/5/18 There’s a common thread that runs through the Trump administration’s approaches to North Korea and Iran. It’s a lack of realism about what can be achieved with available leverage. China’s Nuclear Diplomacy in the Middle East The DiplomatSamuel Hickey 10/9/18 On September 21, China’s Ministry of Justice published its draft Atomic Energy Law, which urges its vast nuclear industry to go forth into the world and secure a portion of the nuclear export market. Special Interest U.S. General Considered Nuclear Response in Vietnam War, Cables Show The New York Times10/6/18 In one of the darkest moments of the Vietnam War, the top American military commander in Saigon activated a plan in 1968 to move nuclear weapons to South Vietnam until he was overruled by President Lyndon B. Johnson, according to recently declassified documents cited in a new history of wartime presidential decisions.