Simon Palamar, Toronto Star: Kim Jong Un is in the nuclear drivers’ seat
North Korea has changed the rules with the success of its nuclear program. Sticking to the position that talks will only happen on the condition that Pyongyang agrees that those talks will end in denuclearization leaves Washington with few options.
Donald Trump may have a bigger nuclear button than Kim Jong Un, but North Korea is driving events right now.
While Kim and Trump’s back-and-forth is disturbing, their rhetoric is aimed at domestic audiences. And while we’ve focused on the threats and insults that these two leaders throw at each other, we’ve missed the larger story: namely, that the North Korean government holds the upper hand in its decades-old dispute with the United States and that since this summer — with only small exceptions — the U.S. and its allies have been reacting to North Korean policy. Kim Jong Un is shaping the conflict — and its possible solutions — right now.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 10, 2018
Do Korea talks put initiative back with Seoul and Pyongyang? -- Esther Felden, DW
North Korea talks: We've been here before and it doesn't end well -- Stan Grant, ABC News Online
North and South Korea Have a Breakthrough. What Next? -- Joseph Cirincione, National Interest
North Korea Does Not Seriously Seek Unification -- Robert E. Kelly, The Interpreter
The Evolution of the North Korea Crisis through China's Eyes -- Lyle J. Goldstein, National Interest
Iran’s Economy (A Quick Take) -- Bloomberg
Cracks in Russia-Iran alliance open options for Trump -- Daily Mail/Reuters
UN's Syria envoy speaks to Euronews about seven-year conflict (Video) -- Euronews
Can Afghanistan join China-Pakistan Economic Corridor? -- Masood Saifullah, DW
A Peace Dilemma: Afghan Peace Talks Require a New Approach -- Abdul Rahman Rahmani, The Strategy Page
Is Japan Ready for the Quad? Opportunities and Challenges for Tokyo in a Changing Indo-Pacific -- Yuki Tatsumi, War On The Rocks
The Geopolitics of the Beijing-Moscow Consensus -- Enrico Cau, The Diplomat
The Pensions That Ate Latin America -- Mac Margolis, Bloomberg
On Military Force, Trump Is Just Like Obama -- A.D. Miller & R. Sokolsky, Newsweek
Needed: A National Security Strategy Rooted in Geopolitics -- Francis P. Sempa, RCD
Trump's National Security Strategy: 10 Big Priorities -- Colin Dueck, RCD
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