This is crunch time for the global nuclear order. By Saturday, US President Donald Trump must decide whether to recertify the Iran nuclear deal or reimpose sanctions. Only a few weeks later, he is expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a summit that will have implications for that country’s nuclear program.With Trump surrounded by hawkish advisers -- like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton -- the odds are good that efforts to denuclearize will

May 9, 2018

If you’re surprised that last week’s trade negotiations between the US and China achieved little, take a look at the laundry list of demands the White House foisted on Beijing.President Donald Trump wants China to slash the trade deficit, end cybertheft of US technology, eliminate regulations impeding access for American companies, cease subsidizing new high-tech industries and more. Chinese officials probably were taken aback by the sheer breadth of requests.　One could argue that Trump asked fo

May 9, 2018

President Donald Trump finally made good on his promise Tuesday to get out of the Iran nuclear deal. As I have written, I would have kept the agreement in limbo and let the regime’s clerics twist in the wind. But what’s done is done. Much will be written about what the US and its allies should do on the nuclear file. Iran’s leaders have made vague threats, and the West must prepare for the prospect of losing visibility into the country’s declared nuclear infrastructure. That said, the most urgen

May 9, 2018

Asia’s companies should be on high alert.Activists, both homegrown and American, are coming after bloated balance sheets and family-controlled firms, and succeeding more often than hitherto in forcing through higher dividends and board changes.　Whether it’s because the Japanese and South Korean governments want their companies to respect minority investors’ interests, or because the activists themselves have adopted a less abrasive style, Asia is a hunting ground like never before. Last year, 31

May 9, 2018

A joke I heard repeatedly during two weeks in Russia hints at what we should expect from Vladimir Putin’s fourth term as president, which begins Monday.　One Russian academic admitted, “This joke isn’t really funny.” But it does reveal the difficulties America will continue to face in dealing with Putin in the coming six years (compounded by Donald Trump’s strange affection for the Russian strongman).　Angry at new Western sanctions, the joke goes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tells a se

May 9, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged to dismantle his nuclear test site, and supposedly, he’s even inviting the international press into his usually off-limits kingdom to witness the extravaganza. The gesture is meant to prove he’s serious about eliminating his weapons program -- and he wants all the world to see it.　But be warned: This could be a show of the dog-and-pony variety. Some experts claim the site has already been pulverized by previous tests and is now of little use. If that’s

May 8, 2018

High-level trade talks last week between the US and China grabbed headlines around the world, but in many ways they were beside the point. In the years ahead, tariffs and industrial policy -- the main focus of the talks -- will probably matter less in the growing competition between the two countries, while another, much quieter initiative will matter more.　As China boosts overseas investment through its Belt and Road infrastructure program, it is increasingly dictating not just the terms of fin

May 8, 2018

Is President Donald Trump about to talk himself into an impeachment? 　The topic du jour may be Rudy Giuliani’s bombshell about Stormy Daniels, but the more important story remains Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of the Russia scandal and possible obstruction of justice by the president. Trump has been taking to Twitter to make some newish arguments about obstruction, apparently trying to prove the preposterous idea that presidents cannot obstruct justice. He’s only bolstering the

May 8, 2018

As John Bolton took up his new role as national security adviser, a tingle rippled up the spine of those of us in Washington who like to see a good fight. Bolton brings to the job a reputation for not only being a hawk on military matters but for also being a particularly forceful and skilled bureaucratic infighter. All this will make for engaging theater as he settles into a position that has since the Truman administration been a source of contention between the White House and the Department

May 7, 2018

President Trump deserves credit for seizing the moment for negotiations with North Korea. But some little-noticed documents reveal that Kim Jong-un has been planning his denuclearization offer and opening to America for the past five years.The diplomatic pace is accelerating now as Trump and Kim prepare for their planned summit. There’s talk that North Korea may soon release three American prisoners, and Pyongyang has announced plans for a theatrical demolition of a nuclear test site later this

May 7, 2018

One sign of how long Vladimir Putin has held power is that Russians in their late teens (or even early 20s) have known no other political leader.　As the Russian president begins his fourth term Monday -- amid much speculation about whether he’ll ever relinquish power -- many of the best and brightest of the Putin generation are growing nervous about their future.Young adults who study at good universities and live in Moscow or St. Petersburg -- cities bursting with cafes, restaurants, Western go

May 7, 2018

It’s been a historic week on the Korean Peninsula. The North-South summit between Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in was nothing short of extraordinary. Pictures and videos allowed us to watch history unfolding, and the excitement was reminiscent of 1989, when we witnessed the momentous thawing of relations between East and West Germany.　The welcome meeting at the Demilitarized Zone gave everybody something to root for -- after all, leaders meeting each other is much better than leaders shouting or twe

May 7, 2018

Two years ago, Wang Jianlin, once China’s richest man, referred to his network of theme parks as a “wolf pack” that would chase Walt Disney and its Shanghai Disneyland from China. Last week, Shanghai Disney unveiled a major expansion of its $5.5 billion park, now the most popular in China. Wang, by contrast, is out of the business altogether, having sold his theme-park holdings to raise cash for his real-estate company.　Wang’s rollercoaster descent is, in part, a tribute to Disney’s global appea

May 4, 2018

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed a treasure trove of secrets on Monday about Iran’s hidden nuclear activities. But it would be a waste of this extraordinary intelligence to use it as a pretext for American withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Much better to use it as a pressure tool to squeeze Tehran.The Israeli intelligence coup should open the way for a much smarter US campaign to isolate Iran and tighten the deal -- and bring Europe, Russia and China along in a common push

May 3, 2018