Debating Risk and Blowback on North Korea
Cipher Brief experts debated the risk versus blowback of striking North Korea before it has a chance to strike the continental United States, at The […] More
nuclear weapons
Trump and Kim Jong Un: Let’s Make a Deal
President Donald Trump has agreed to meet with Kim Jong Un and the other players, China and North Korea, are preparing. The question is: How […] More
How Trump Can Separate North Korea From Its Nukes
During two years of intense negotiations with North Korea, from August 2003 to September 2005, North Korea’s constant refrain to U.S. negotiators was, ‘Accept us […] More
Kim Says He’s Open to Denuclearization—But In Exchange for What?
North Korea’s weekend offer of peace talks over dinner with the first South Korean delegation there in more than a decade seems to be a […] More
Don’t Talk to Kim if Nukes Are Off the Table
North Korea’s Olympic delegation has left Pyeongchang, and stuck South Korean President Moon Jae-in with a decision: whether to accept an invitation to Pyongyang for […] More
Mattis: New U.S. Nuclear Capabilities Needed to Deter Moscow
Pentagon chief Jim Mattis defended the administration’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) as the right response to Russia’s rising nuclear capacity and its failure to […] More
Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review: Cold War Redux?
In various and sundry NATO countries, the United States has stationed 200-plus B-61 tactical nuclear bombs, current and older versions of which have dial-a-yield settings […] More
Trump Call for New Nukes Will Make America Less Safe
Last Friday afternoon, Trump administration sub-cabinet officials quietly rolled out the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), and today, the United States and Russian Federation successfully […] More
Kissinger: North Korea Setting Off Nuclear Domino Effect
A failure to shut down North Korea’s nuclear program would not only pose a threat to U.S. territory, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told […] More
Riddles of Armageddon: Legal Enigmas of a Nuke Launch Order
The recent discussion of whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un or President Donald Trump has the bigger “nuclear button” raises the question again of […] More
North Korea ‘Bloody Nose’ Could Turn into Torrent
“We have to deal with North Korea as it is, not as we wish it to be.” Does President Trump understand those words? They were […] More
Little Reason for Big Hope from Korea
North Korea made clear its aim to divide the U.S. from its South Korean ally when the North and South negotiators met this week: “All […] More
Short Half-Life for Peaceful Korean Peninsula after Olympics
Bottom Line: North and South Korean Olympians may be marching together come February after Tuesday’s breakthrough talks – the first between the two sides in […] More
Trump’s Trigger Finger: Nuke Review Ditches Obama Pledges
The Trump administration may open the New Year with a bang – a nuclear bang – with the impending release of its Nuclear Posture Review. […] More
How to Weigh the Worth of the Iran Nuclear Deal
The mid-December deadline for Congress to determine whether to re-impose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran is rapidly approaching – with uncertain progress. Enacting these additional sanctions […] More
Senators Debate Wisdom of President’s Nuclear Authority
The shadow of President Donald Trump’s comments in August forewarning that the United States would meet any threat from North Korea with “fire and fury” […] More
President Trump & the Iran Nuclear Deal – A European Perspective
President Donald Trump’s recent decision not to re-certify Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA has stimulated much debate on both sides of the Atlantic. But whilst […] More
Pompeo Warns of North Korea Nukes & Loose Spies’ Lips
CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Thursday warned North Korea may be only months away from being able to launch a nuclear-tipped missile at the United […] More