With North Korea, the Trump administration faces a stark test: end the nuclear program without changing the regime.
Pyongyang’s belligerent words and actions are set to culminate in a major event this weekend for the regime’s “Day of the Sun” celebration of the birthday of its idolized founder, Kim Il-sung. Although a full-blown nuclear test probably isn’t in store, time is short for the White House to take back the initiative without triggering chaos in the North or war in the region.
At the heart of the Korea crisis is the paradoxical difficulty Washington faces in addressing that country in isolation.