Top News: Beijing pillories Pentagon report on Chinese military ambitions France 24 IAEA inspects one of two sites in Iran after long stand-off Reuters Pakistan lawmaker warns of nuclear war over Kashmir Anadolu United States OPINION: Extending the New START nuclear pact will help stabilize US-Russia relations Defense News9/4/20 Just as arms control negotiations had a stabilizing impact on the geopolitical rivalry between Washington and Moscow during the Cold War period, strategic stability talks today could help arrest the yearslong degradation in this critical, bilateral relationship. East Asia Beijing pillories Pentagon report on Chinese military ambitions France 249/2/20 China on Wednesday condemned a Pentagon report for claiming Beijing wants to double its stockpile of nuclear warheads within a decade as it seeks to deter the United States from any intervention linked to Taiwan. North Korea readies submarine-launched ballistic missile test Forbes8/6/20 Satellite imagery of a North Korean shipyard released on September 4, 2020 suggests preparations are ongoing for an upcoming test of a Pukguksong-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). ANALYSIS: China’s nuclear buildup changes balance of power BloombergHal Brands 9/7/20 Whether this strategic shift is good or bad for the U.S. is open to interpretation. ANALYSIS: Triangles of instability: Nuclear dilemmas and how they feed into each other The DiplomatAbhijnan Rej 9/8/20 Two overlapping triangular nuclear relationships could compound risks and complicate deterrence calculi for all the parties involved. Middle East IAEA inspects one of two sites in Iran after long stand-off Reuters9/4/20 Iran has let the U.N. nuclear watchdog inspect one of the two sites it agreed last week to grant access to after a protracted standoff, while Tehran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has risen further, quarterly reports by the agency said on Friday. Russia and Europe OPINION: The great debate over Russian nuclear doctrine The HillPeter Pry 9/6/20 The great debate among U.S. analysts over Russian nuclear doctrine, and how worrisome its threat may be, finally has been resolved — and the hawks win. South Asia Erosion of nuclear deterrence makes India-China relations critical Financial Times8/7/20 Countries with nuclear weapons are moving closer to military confrontation. Pakistan lawmaker warns of nuclear war over Kashmir Anadolu8/9/20 Pakistan would not let India mislead world on ongoing ‘genocide’ in Kashmir, says head of parliament’s Kashmir committee. OPINION: India–China border dispute: the curious incident of a nuclear dog that didn’t bark Bulletin of Atomic ScientistsRamesh Thakur, Manpreet Sethi 8/7/20 On June 15, nuclear-armed China and India fought with fists, rocks, and clubs along the world’s longest un-demarcated and contested boundary.