New Nuclear START with Russia
A date for Washington-Moscow nuclear arms control discussions could emerge from today’s Washington meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — first with Secretary of […] More
Nuclear
A JCPOA on Life Support
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran is on life support. Despite the pledges of allegiance to its implementation, Iran is now likely […] More
U.S. Leadership is Needed to Stop Terrorism
The nation and the world welcomed President Donald Trump’s Oct. 27 announcement that ISIS leader Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed by the U.S. military at his […] More
A Quiet Agreement Between China and South Korea on Denuclearization
China and South Korea quietly agreed this week to engage in a joint effort to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. The announcement came on the sidelines […] More
Negotiating with North Korea
Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joseph DeTrani offers his seasoned perspective on negotiating with North Korea. This piece was first published by our friends at 38 […] More
A Fading Chance for Improvement with North Korea
During 2018 and part of 2019, the DPRK’s Chairman Kim Jong-un, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, and U.S. President Donald Trump collectively made diplomatic history […] More
Why do we need Plutonium Pits?
OPINION — The Trump administration’s year-old plan to vastly increase future production of plutonium pits, the triggers of thermonuclear weapons, caught my attention just days […] More
Signs of Iranian Strategy
It was a busy weekend of activity for Iran, much of it rooted in its desire to seek ways around U.S. sanctions that are targeting […] More
National Security Science: Earthquake or Nuclear Test?
With ongoing and often frustrating nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea and heightened tensions between nuclear neighbors India and Pakistan over Kashmir, having a […] More
Kim Jung Un’s Hubris
North Korean leader Kim Jung Un’s recent actions were disturbing – and potentially dangerous. After two summits with President Donald Trump and an historic June […] More
New Lessons Lead to New War Plans for India and Pakistan
India believes it won the hostilities which followed the Pulwama attack in February 2019. According to New Delhi the attack on Balakot not only punished […] More
Iran’s State of Play
Tensions remain high between Iran and several EU countries, even after some of the primary signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement vowed their continued support […] More
North Korea and Nobel Prizes
OPINION — While two former U.S. Presidents – Jimmy Carter in 1994 and Bill Clinton in 2009 – had made historic visits to Pyongyang, meeting […] More
Twitter Diplomacy and North Korea
The significant weekend visit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un started with a Tweet last Thursday as President Trump […] More
Restoring Deterrence with Iran
Putting Iran in a desperate situation without viable alternatives is likely to result in desperate responses. Two oil tankers carrying Japanese-related cargo were attacked in […] More
The Politics at Play in Iran
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his country “will not wage war against any nation”, as tensions continue to escalate between the U.S. and Tehran. U.S. […] More
Limited Options for Dealing with Iran
A spokesman for the Iranian atomic agency said Monday that within 10 days, the country will pass the allowed limit for low-grade uranium enrichment under the nuclear […] More
A Strategy to Constrain Iran
In the midst of recent escalatory statements and actions between the U.S. and Iran, a spokesman for the Iranian atomic agency said Monday that within […] More