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TOP OF THE AGENDA
North Korea Launches Another Missile Over Japan
North Korea launched a ballistic missile (WaPo) over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Friday morning, the second such launch over the island nation in three weeks.
The move comes less than two weeks after Pyongyang detonated what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb, prompting new international sanctions. South Korea shot two ballistic missiles (Korea Times) toward simulated targets in the East China Sea six minutes after the North's launch. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the present circumstances have made dialogue with Pyongyang "impossible" (Korea Times). U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on Russia and China (Guardian), two of North Korea's major oil suppliers, to take new measures against the country.
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ANALYSIS
"The United States has far less incentive to intervene on behalf of South Korea or Japan if North Korea can respond with a nuclear strike against the U.S. homeland. This phenomenon, whereby a nuclear-armed adversary can separate a security guarantor from its ally, is known as 'decoupling,'" Mira Rapp-Hooper writes for War on the Rocks.
"Given Pyongyang's rollout of missile tests and nuclear devices, and Trump's 'America First' rhetoric and inconsistency on foreign policy, it is likely that South Koreans' support for nuclearization will grow," Katharine H.S. Moon writes for Foreign Affairs.
"Officials in Japan who may have considered intercepting the missile faced two immediate constraints—the country's missile defenses are limited, and the Constitution limits military action only to instances of self-defense," Motoko Rich writes for the New York Times.
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MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Dozens Dead in Islamic State Attacks in Iraq
The self-proclaimed Islamic State said it was behind two attacks that killed at least sixty people in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah on Thursday. The provincial governor said the majority of the dead appeared to be Iranian visitors (Al Jazeera).
SAUDI ARABIA: Sixteen people, including Islamic clerics, academics, and writers, believed to be critics (NYT) of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have been detained over the last week.
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EUROPE
UK Says Metro Explosion Treated as Terrorist Attack
A top UK counterterrorism official said an explosion followed by a fire on a London train Friday is being treated as terrorism (WSJ). At least twenty-two people were injured.
TURKEY: Police used tear gas and batons against protesters on Thursday as the trial of two teachers who have carried out a hunger strike for months in prison (DW) began in Ankara. The government accuses the pair of having links to a Marxist revolutionary group.
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