Outside the Beltway

Donald Trump’s trade war is helping China expand its diplomatic influence.

Lost in all the news about Serena Williams and her arguments with an umpire during last night’s match is the fact that Naomi Osaka represents the face of what appears to be a Japan that is changing for the better.

A significant advance for LGBT rights in the world’s most populous democracy.

The military regime in Myanmar has sentenced two reporters to prison for reporting on the repression of the Rohingya Muslims.

Who could have seen this coming?

Trump’s deal-making prowess in NK and Iran isn’t too impressive.

With the start of the Singapore Summit just hours away, it’s not at all clear what the respective parties can possibly agree to other than what amounts to a photo opportunity.

Trump’s suggestion to include Russia again in a new G-8 makes me wonder about a couple of things.

A couple weeks ago, the North Koreans made a big deal about destroying their nuclear test site. It now appears that the event the media witnessed was less than meets the eye.

Among the stumbling blocks to a DPRK nuclear summit: who’s going to pay for Kim Jong Un’s hotel room?

Clashes between the US and Chinese navies in the South China Sea have intensified.

South Korea’s President is saying that Kim Jong Un has renewed his supposed commitment to ‘denuclearization,’ but it isn’t at all clear what that means.

The President and the Secretary of State had some oddly contradictory statements this week.

Not surprisingly, the North Koreans are pushing back against American efforts to force them into a corner on denuclearization.

It was never going to be as easy as the administration thought.

For some reason, the President wants to help a Chinese company that has been accused of being a security risk by American intelligence services.

Does the administration know what it is doing?

The date and location of the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un has been set, but there’s as much chance of failure as their is hope for success.

Some good news from North Korea.

There are reasons to be skeptical about the dawning of a new age on the peninsula.

The meeting between Kim Jong-Un and Moon Jae-In was historic, but many questions and caveats remain.

The Kim regime has announced the end, for now, of its nuclear and ballistic missile testing programs. To understand why they made this concession, one needs to read between the lines.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Another significant development on the Korean Peninsula.

After several days of speculation, it was confirmed that the leaders of North Korea and China had met in Beijing. This was meant as much for external consumption as it was the relationship between the two nations.

By threatening to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran, Donald Trump is making it far less likely that any upcoming talks with North Korea will succeed.

Talking to adversaries is a good idea. Of course, it matters how it is done.

The Kim regime released a statement saying they were open to talks and would not conduct provocative tests while they were ongoing.

China’s Xi Jinping solidified his hold on power well into the next decade over the weekend.

A mass wave of mainland Chinese immigration to Australia has led to discrimination against Taiwanese expats there.

President Trump continues to make irresponsible and dangerous threats in connection with American policy toward North Korea.

Why does the U.S. continue to pursue the seemingly impossible goal of denuclearization with regard to North Korea? In part, it’s because we’re still locked into thirty-year-old rhetoric.

The recent cooling of relations between North and South Korea has led to some talk of eventual reunification, but for many South Koreans that idea is a non-starter.

Just over one year after President Trump’s foolish and ill-informed decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Canada has stepped in to rescue the deal.

President Trump is apparently pressuring the President of South Korea to give him the credit for talks between North and South Korea that the United States isn’t involved in at all.

Some progress on easing tensions between North and South Korea.

Vladimir Putin will easily win re-election, but some are beginning to wonder who or what comes after him.

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is floating the idea that the U.S. might not take part in the Olympics due to safety concerns. This would be a foolish decision.

Russia has been barred from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics after an investigation uncovered extensive evidence of cheating.

North Korea tests another missile, and sends another message to the United States and its allies in Asia and the Pacific.

President Trump returns home from an Asian trip that wasn’t exactly impressive.

A preemptive attack on North Korea would be illegal, immoral and, most importantly, insane.

While the President of the United States continues to create chaos, Xi Jinping consolidates his power in China.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to call a snap election pays off big time.

Donald Trump is undermining his own Secretary of State’s efforts on North Korea, and he doesn’t seem to care.

The Trump Administration’s effort to impose sanctions against North Korea suffered a significant defeat in the United Nations Security Council.

Absent significant changes, expecting normal diplomatic relationships with the DPRK is a pipe dream.

More provocative action from North Korea, and another reminder that there are no easy answers to the problems represented by the Kim regime.