WASHINGTON, D.C. — Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Pyongyang and North Korea's announcement of tests of new missiles have raised alarms in Washington, rattled America's allies and threatened to destabilize the Indo-Pacific region. While this certainly is not the first time that tensions have escalated, the current turmoil can be traced back to the actions of one man: former United States president Donald Trump.
During his presidency, Trump's attempts at diplomacy were often viewed as ill-informed and dangerous, especially when he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un exchanged nuclear threats in 2017. Yet, Trump and Kim, who met for two summits in 2018 and 2019, actually made significant progress toward resolving the decadeslong conflict between their two countries — until Trump's impulsiveness derailed these efforts and set the stage for escalation.
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