This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Friday, August 18th, 2017.

I'm Caleb Brown. In the weird showdown between the US and North Korea, China's leadership has shown remarkable restraint, detailing for both

countries what China views as its role in the dispute.

Chris Preble, Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute,

discusses the key difference

between preemption and prevention. In this increasing heated rhetoric

between the United States and North Korea, China has in some ways shown

us how to do it by saying to North Korea essentially, you know, I know you're my little brother and everything, but if you take

you know unwise action, you're essentially on your own,

which is something the United States

seems unable to do in a whole variety of circumstances.

That's right.

The Chinese issued a warning to Pyongyang last week if you, basically saying you're on your

own if you go after the United States.

So they were helpfully, I think, sort of drawing

red lines for their client state, their ally, explaining that their alliance was not unconditional, which is useful.

By the same token, it was a reminder that our president has not been quite as sort of explicit about what he means in terms of

raining fire and fury. Is this a threat to initiate fire and Fury?

Is it merely a pledge to use all means to retaliate

in the event of an attack,

which is supposed to deter a North Korean attack and so it's one of

those moments where we have a sort of reminded about the difference between

...