Public letters and private conversations had the desired effect: Barack Obama began treating his Israeli counterpart with a modicum of respect and the optics of a restarted peace process - however shortlived or doomed - helped conjur up an image of a renewed partnership between the two nations.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Obama's not-so-hidden agenda

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed North Korea with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Tuesday, according to U.S. officials, following conversations Monday with leaders of the three other nations involved in the North Korea nuclear diplomacy: China, South Korea and Japan.

WSJ: U.S. Tries to Line Up U.N. Rebuke