Negotiations between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and South Korean President
Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump have relieved pressure that was building
toward a potential U.S.-North Korea military confrontation in the final months of 2017.
Escalating bluster has given way to an ongoing diplomatic process, facilitated by a freeze
of North Korean nuclear and missile tests, the suspension of major U.S.-South Korean
military exercises, and other measures intended to build confidence. But the present thaw
may not serve U.S. and allied interests if the two sides are unable to turn reciprocal tension-reduction gestures into durable agreements.
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