Donald's Dilemma: North Korea

① Kim Jong Un's quest for a nuclear bomb that can hit the continental United States will test President Donald Trump's deepest instincts and define America's position in the world.

② Will he opt for diplomacy or war?

③ Mr Trump could fall back on deterrence and containment.

④ But that would leave American cities vulnerable to a North Korean strike.

⑤ Or he could break with the past and use force, risking war and a catastrophic loss of life in north-east Asia.

⑥ Mr Trump's choice will test America's alliances with South Korea and Japan, while around the world other partners will study how he weighs their interests.

⑦ The president's choice will also shape the century-defining relationship between America and China: the two superpowers could end up working together more closely, or fighting each other.

⑧ For 25 years American presidents have been able to avoid choosing between diplomacy and military action.

⑨ Mr Trump does not have that luxury.

▍生詞好句

quest /kw?st/: n. 追尋

continental /k?nt??n?nt(?)l/: adj. 大陸的

instinct /??nst??(k)t/: n. 本能

opt for…: 傾向于做某事

diplomacy /d??pl??m?si/?: n. 外交

deterrence /d??t?r(?)ns/: n. 威懾

containment /k?n?te?nm(?)nt/: n. 限制

vulnerable /?v?ln(?)r?b(?)l/: adj. 脆弱的

strike /str??k/: n. 襲擊

catastrophic /kat??str?f?k/: adj. 災(zāi)難性的

alliance /??l???ns/: n. 聯(lián)盟

weigh /we?/: vt. 掂量；權(quán)衡