Nuclear Bargaining Chips in a Protracted Arms Race
OPINION — President Donald Trump’s recent threat to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) provides another false justification for adding to a […] More
Nuclear
Iran: Maximum Pressure and Perfect Storms
Last spring, two weeks after the Trump Administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the international arms control deal that curbed […] More
The Fate of Nuclear Treaties
Bottom Line Up Front The U.S. has announced it will pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed in 1987. Washington’s departure […] More
Analysis: The U.S.-Russia Disagreement over the INF Treaty – Do Svedanya
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the U.S. decision to withdraw from the […] More
North Korea’s Nuclear Strategy
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is touting his recent trip to Pyongyang as a success, saying that he was able to make ‘real progress’ toward […] More
Opinion: Two Koreas Running Rings Around U.S.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with North Korea’s foreign minister on Wednesday and says he will visit Pyongyang next month to pave the […] More
Expert Analysis: Fissures Between U.S., Europe and Iran at United Nations
President Donald Trump largely followed the U.S. policy script on Iran when he addressed the United Nations on Wednesday. So what exactly, did the key […] More
North Korea Brief II: Critical Allied Relationships
In part two of The Cipher Brief’s Expert Briefing on North Korea, Ambassador Joseph DeTrani focuses on the critical relationships with allies and partners and […] More
North Korea Brief I: Path to Progress on Negotiations
Experts cited the lack of intercontinental ballistic missiles in North Korea’s 70th anniversary parade celebrations over the weekend as a sign that the nuclear nation […] More
Infighting in Tehran
Bottom Line Up Front: Political infighting within Iran’s leadership over how to respond to the Trump Administration policy toward Tehran has convinced U.S. officials that […] More
Slow and Unsteady Progress with North Korea Helps Kim Jong Un
Cipher Brief Update: On August 23, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a Special Representative for North Korea. Steve Biegun will “direct all U.S. policy […] More
Don’t Compromise Objectives with North Korea
We know from twenty-five years of negotiations that patience and persistence are required if we hope to resolve nuclear and other issues with North Korea. […] More
Nuclear Message to the World
OPINION — President Trump’s repeated message that Russia’s possession of nuclear weapons requires him to have better relations with Vladimir Putin, should encourage China to […] More
Is North Korea Boiling Down to a War of Words?
OPINION — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried Sunday to use current U.S. relations with an old wartime enemy, the Communist government in Vietnam, as […] More
Lessons Learned From 25 Years of Negotiating with North Korea
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is resetting expectations for a denuclearization timeline for North Korea, saying Monday that it will take ‘decades’ to get North […] More
Why the U.S. Must Trust but Verify with North Korea
As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heads to North Korea seeking signs of progress after the recent Singapore summit, some of his colleagues in the […] More
Singapore a Success? Yes, by Mirroring Obama
Much initial reaction to the North Korean – American Singapore Summit has been negative, with critics targeting the concessions made by President Trump including; a […] More
Like it or Not, Singapore Summit was a Success
The historic June 12th summit in Singapore between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jung Un has moved us closer to a peaceful resolution of […] More