Article snippet: Facing the most perilous moment of his time in office, nuclear power. With rhetoric that is literally incendiary -– the promise of “fire and fury,” repeated twice for effect -– the president is calculating that North Korea will change its behavior based on language the regime might recognize because it sounds so much like its own. Trump is moving the red line closer to Kim Jong Un’s already-established actions, by warning against provocations as well as actions. He appears to be betting that an apparent step toward a shooting war with a nuclear-armed nation will force the other side to back off. While major parts of the president’s national security team were caught off guard by his comments, the Trump White House is casting this as strategy that’s in keeping with the blunt style Trump has brought to the office. “What the president was doing was sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jung Un would understand, because he doesn’t seem to understand diplomatic language,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. Aides and associates are quick to point out that the Trump administration is still also employing diplomatic means, working through the United Nations and with China, Japan, and South Korea to change North Korea’s behavior. Tillerson said he doesn’t view any of this as a step closer to war: “Americans should sleep well at night,” he said while touching down for a refueling stop in Guam, an American territory the North K... Link to the full article to read more