"Trump's intemperate talk is adding to regional tensions, unnerving allies and likely reinforcing North Korea's longstanding fear that it could one day be attacked by America -- the very reason No. Korea invested in a nuclear arsenal in the first place.What's missing in the White House is a coherent strategy, beyond statements and asking China for help. Trump needs to be firm, not reckless in his talk, ratchet up sanctions and find a way to engage the North in negotiations. Peace and security in Asia, as well as the relationship between Washington and Beijing, depend heavily on whether Trump and President Xi Jinping can together manage the No. Korean threat. It would be risky forTrump to let overconfidence and bombast, expressed in tweets and public statements, box him into some kind of showdown with the North's ruthless leader, Kim Jong-un, who has displayed similarly macho traits."
At www.nytimes.com
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