With the crisis in the Middle East showing signs of abating, what has happened this month on the Korean Peninsula has dimmed hopes that a similar easing of tensions or reconciliation would also emerge in the region.

The Syria chemical weapons issue is being resolved in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution. The Geneva II round of peace talks on Syria is scheduled to be held on Nov 23 and 24. Meanwhile, global powers just concluded a new round of negotiations with Iran last week in Geneva and issued, for the first time, a joint statement which may herald greater opportunities for a political resolution to the decades-old Iranian nuclear standoff.

But on the Korean Peninsula, the atmosphere is totally different. We have seen evidence this month that the US and its allies in the region are mounting military pressure on Pyongyang, which runs the risk of reversing the recent easing of tensions on the peninsula.