Starting this month, TNI’s Managing Editor, Harry Kazianis, will select the day’s top foreign policy, national security, and defense articles for your reading pleasure. From the latest crisis in Syria or the Middle East, to China’s rise, to important matters of U.S. foreign policy and domestic politics, TNI has you covered.

What you need to know for Thursday 9/26:

Christian Science Monitor- Iran's Rouhani: Why I Didn't Shake Obama's Hand

From the article: “There are “no problems in terms of shaking Mr. Obama’s hand and negotiating with him,” Rouhani said. “It was two days ago that the U.S. proposed a meeting and we were not opposed. This is a very sensitive subject. We have not talked at that level for 35 years. We must take these steps carefully.”

Senior administration officials said the possible handshake on the sidelines of the UN assembly – which was built up by both sides yesterday as a distinct possibility – proved “too complicated” for Iran at this time, “given their own dynamic back home.”

“We are ready to negotiate, but we didn’t have enough time to make that happen,” said Rouhani. “The handshake is a symbolic issue.”

Washington Post - House GOP offers plan to avert shutdown “The party’s strategy would delay the fight over Obamacare till October by attaching it to the bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.”

Foreign Policy - What's New Is Nuance “Why Iran may just be playing smiling for dollars.”

American Conservative - Three Realist Lessons From Obama’s Syria Missteps

Foreign Affairs - The Rise of the Rest of India: How States Have Become the Engines of Growth

The Hill - Congress Down To One-Week CR

The Diplomat - The Real North Korea Nuke Threat:

From the article: “In the next decade, one of two things will happen. Either the North Korean state will collapse, and the North Korean nuclear arsenal will be absorbed into/disarmed by South Korea, or the international community (specifically the Six Party contact group and the various international nuclear monitoring organizations) will need to accept the reality of Pyongyang’s nuclear program and move forward based on that status quo. An accidental nuclear release is a low-likelihood event, with the potential for a very high impact. Developing sufficient trust to help the DPRK safely manage its small arsenal is a smart move even for states that abhor the Kim regime.”

Image: Office of the President - Iran