The calculation has always - or at least for the past decade or so - been that any sort of strike against North Korea would be too risky because a) if they really do have operable nukes, they could easily reach Seoul or various targets in Japan; and b) Bowl Cut Jr. is either evil enough or crazy enough (or both) to do it.
Ergo, no threat of force is credible or feasible. So went the thinking throughout the Bush and Obama administrations.
Does the Trump team know something they didn't? Or are they simply convinced - perhaps because of something Xi Jinpeng told them - that Junior won't actually risk the massive retaliation? Because either someone is going to have to back down, or there is going to be fire and blood very soon:
