Why Singapore summit may define Trump's foreign policy legacy

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted on Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's vow to destroy his nation's key nuclear testing site "is a good first step" in preparations for the landmark June 12 Singapore summit between US President Donald Trump and Kim. With positive mood music currently surrounding the Trump-Kim session, Korea offers the potential to become the US president's first big foreign policy win.

Any final, comprehensive deal between Washington and Pyongyang is possibly years away. Yet, it is already clear that it would be a remarkable achievement if Mr Trump were to help preside over "denuclearisation" of the Korean continent; help seal a peace treaty between North and South to supplement the armistice ending the 1950-53 Korea War; and in the process de-escalate tensions in the world's last Cold War-era frontier.

Should Mr Kim ultimately decide to abandon North Korea's nuclear programme in exchange for economic aid and security guarantees, the reason why this would - potentially - be so central to Mr Trump's eventual foreign policy legacy is that almost a year and a half into office, the president's international actions have been much more defined by the dismantling of policies of previous presidents, especially Barack Obama, rather than building something new. He has, for instance, recently withdrawn US participation from the nuclear agreement between Iran and the United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom, France and Germany.