Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 10, 2018

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