A Strategy for (Modestly Increasing the Chance of) Saving the INF Treaty
James Acton
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty is, most likely, a dead pact walking. Not only are the prospects of Russia returning to compliance with the treaty extremely bleak, but even serious discussions between Washington and Moscow about the treaty’s implementation seem like a diplomatic bridge too far right now. Without a process that offers at least some hope of a solution, the treaty’s survival is likely to be threatened—probably sooner rather than later—by either abrogation or irrelevance.
South Korea Urges 'Parallel' Talks and Sanctions to Rein in North Korea
Ju-min Park and Christine Kim | Reuters
South Korea's new president launched international efforts to defuse tension over North Korea's weapons development on Thursday, urging both dialogue and sanctions while also aiming to ease Chinese anger about a U.S. anti-missile system.
China Tests New Missile Close to Korean Peninsula
Franz-Stefan Gady | Diplomat
The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) has conducted a number of weapons tests, which included the launch of a new missile type in the northeastern Bohai Sea close to the Korean Peninsula, the Information Bureau of China’s Ministry of National Defense announced on May 9.
North Korea’s ICBMs Have ‘Important Shortfalls,’ Pentagon Says
Anthony Capaccio | Bloomberg
North Korea must still overcome “important shortfalls” in developing a nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile before it can field a weapon capable of hitting the U.S., according to the Pentagon’s intelligence agency.
Russia Offers Turnkey Nuclear Plants to Indonesia: Luhut
Fedina S. Sundaryani | Jakarta Post
Russian Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation has offered to develop turnkey nuclear power plants in Indonesia, said Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan on Thursday. The firm has offered to develop nuclear power plants in regions where there is no threat of earthquake, such as Bangka in Sumatra and East Kalimantan, Luhut said.
An Atomic Town Revels in Its Plutonium Past as Tunnel Collapse Raises Contamination Concerns
Leah Sottile, Lindsey Bever and Steven Mufson | Washington Post
Hours after the collapse of a 20-foot portion of a Hanford tunnel full of highly contaminated equipment, Adrian Martens was sitting at the bar having a pint after his Tuesday shift. He said people here aren’t afraid of Hanford — or adopting the atomic iconography as kitsch. “It’s a fun retro thing,” he said. He thinks the news media’s panic about the tunnel collapse “might be overblown.”