Back to the future: North Korea policy returns to business as usual

What's next: With the prospect of a comprehensive denuclearization deal off the table for now, the Trump administration will likely get back to basics: resuming economic pressure, threatening force and ramping up rhetorical attacks. Pyongyang can be expected to issue belligerent statements, test weapons and possibly even try to detain a visiting American or two. China and South Korea will be the wild cards in the U.S. pressure campaign — they are necessary for it to be effective, but they may try to portray Trump as the intransigent party.

And the impasse — Washington wishing to rid North Korea of nuclear weapons, Pyongyang wishing to keep them — will return in high relief.

Richard Fontaine is the president of the Center for a New American Security.