You don't think ol' Rumpole is going to let a little firecracker like that one go unlit, eh? Hah!
When President Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 2018 and later in Vietnam in February 2019, it marked the first-ever meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. The event was highly controversial and garnered a wide range of opinions from the diplomatic corps, the military, western leaders, and politicians.
Some saw the meetings as a positive step toward diplomacy and a potential path to deescalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula. Advocates for diplomacy argued that engaging in direct dialogue with Kim Jong Un could pave the way for better relations, reducing the risk of conflict, and potentially leading to denuclearization.
However, others criticized the meetings and the photo-ops, arguing that they legitimized Kim Jong Un's regime without any tangible progress on denuclearization or human rights issues. Critics contended that the meetings and the resulting images elevated North Korea's status on the world stage without securing any meaningful concessions or commitments from the regime.
In the diplomatic corps and among western leaders, opinions were also divided. Some appreciated the unconventional approach taken by President Trump, hoping that it could lead to breakthroughs in the longstanding impasse between the US and North Korea. Others were more skeptical, expressing concerns about the lack of preparation, the absence of clear objectives, and the potential for the meetings to be exploited for propaganda purposes by North Korea.
The military establishment, too, had a range of opinions. Some military leaders and experts acknowledged the potential benefits of diplomacy, while others expressed concerns about the potential consequences of engaging with a regime that has a history of violating agreements and pursuing nuclear weapons development
And what did Trump achieve?
1 Legitimization of his regime internationally, by meeting with and being the object of lavish praise by the president of the United States;
2 An unexpected and long-sought freeze on U.S.-South Korea joint exercises announced by President Trump, with the additional virtue of dividing the United States from South Korea and Japan, who were blindsided by the announcement;
3 A suggestion by President Trump that U.S. strategic bombers based in Guam should not conduct exercises in Korea, an important step toward affirming Pyongyang’s definition of denuclearization of the entire Korean peninsula;
4 A denunciation of U.S.-South Korea exercises by President Trump as provocative;
5 A summit that is sure to greatly accelerate the process of erosion of sanctions against North Korea, first by China, Russia, and South Korea, and inevitably by others to follow;
6 A promise from President Trump to invite Kim Jong-un to the White House;
7 The stated desire of President Trump to withdraw all U.S. forces from South Korea;
8 A U.S. commitment to provide security guarantees to North Korea; and
9 A mortal blow to the U.S. ability to either increase sanctions or threaten use of force for the foreseeable future
I, and a number of the members of the Diplomatic Corp, Western Leaders and the Military agree with yours truly. But, yes, opinions are divided, but I doubt sincerely it's a 'small number' and that 'I'm the only one'.
