During Friday’s summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un told South Korea’s President Moon that he is willing to totally abandon nuclear weapons in return for an end to the Korean War and a promise from the United States not to invade.
North Korean officials have long said that their nuclear program was only necessary to deter a US attack. Getting a formal pledge from the US not to invade would achieve that goal, assuming it’s a credible promise. North Korea appears to believe they can get such a promise.
New Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared optimistic too. In comments on ABC’s “This Week,” Pompeo said he believes there is a “real opportunity” for a denuclearization deal with North Korea. He added that conditions are right for such a deal.
National Security Adviser John Bolton was less hopeful, saying the US must hold out for “concrete evidence” of denuclearization. Bolton had long supported attacking North Korea, and has never favored diplomacy to achieve US policy goals.
Whatever cabinet members think, President Trump is the one that’s going to be driving US involvement in the peace process. Trump has been very clear in his support for the diplomatic process, and the upcoming summit with Kim.
Trump has defended the lead-up to the summit in the face of growing media hostility to diplomacy with North Korea. He has also rejected criticism that he’s giving away too much, noting he hasn’t actually given North Korea anything yet, and doesn’t intend to without North Korea scrapping its nuclear arsenal.
Denuclearization for peace, after all, is exactly the grand bargain that the US has sought with North Korea. The South Korean government has gone to great lengths to lay the groundwork for such a deal, and very much wants a deal ending the Korean War. US officials have expressed support for the peace deal, but have emphasized denuclearization as their top priority.
Such a deal would’ve been unthinkable just a few months ago. After growing diplomatic progress, huge deals not only seem possible, but very practical. Everyone is unusually willing to make a deal, and summits are lining up at just the right time to make big things happen.
Keeping fingers crossed.
I here a lot of talk about a Nobel prize. A lot of it is of course just jibes at Obama. But even that is at least in an odd way an anti-war sentiment. Hearing right wingers laugh at the ironic nobel is of course ironic itself in many ways, but still I’ll take it. Pointing out that Obama was a warmonger and wrong for being one is a good thing, even if it does come from a rather hypocritical source.
And yep, I’d love to see them give Trump a Nobel if peace comes to Korea, not because he really deserves it though. (He has bombed a number of nations and that should be a dis-qualifier, I’d give it to Moon) But it might help to give Trump the prize and hope it makes him want more of that kind of praise. Let him get a taste for praise from the whole world for getting something right, especially when it comes to making peace. Maybe he will start to like the praise so much he’ll keep it up and do more of the same elsewhere. If his instinct really is to end the wars this might be the catalyst that helps him grow a backbone and actually do it.
He is egotistical, greedy, a liar, serial philanderer, bigoted–which makes him perfect for the Nobel prize. If they could give it to Henry and Aung, then why not our very own bigot.
I don’t think the guy is a bigot, at least not any more than most people I run across on a daily basis. Now does that mean I don’t think he used dog whistle’s to get some extra votes from racists? No, I think he is quit capable of doing that. I just wouldn’t be so quick to label him as a “racist” especially not when compared with the rest of us. In fact I’ve found in my life that the people who seem to shout racist the loudest and longest are often covering for some activity in their own lives they are not particularly proud of.
Egotistical? Again I’m sure he is, but I really couldn’t care less. I assume anyone with enough guts to run for President thinks fairly highly of themselves. Greedy? Again, I don’t care if he is, in fact it might be more of a good thing than bad. Liar? Name one person in the world who isn’t? I know I have lied and I’m assuming you have as well, right? Serial Philanderer? Well again most presidents have been, but that isn’t exactly something I care to judge people on either,
It’s really funny though, I see so many comments like yours that it’s crazy. As if I’m supposed to care more about his character flaws than his actual actions. Oh and as if his character flaws are worse than previous people like Obama or Hillary, Bush (Yes even Sanders) etc. were not only full of the same flaws but in many ways much worse, being a serial murderer seems a bigger character flaw than all of those and it’s now the one thing he has in common with all of them.
I honestly don’t much care to hear about his personality flaws especially when I know that the majority of people talking about his personality supported warmongers of one stripe or another. I’m not saying you have supported warmongers but I did notice that you seem to have more animosity towards Trump than Obama. In my mind Trump is yet to be as bad as Obama simply because it will be a while before he has murdered as many people and so far he hasn’t started any new wars or destroyed any new nations. That seems a little more important to me than whether or not he manages to keep his penis in his pants for the next three years or if he lies or has a big ego. And I know this, the peace prize should be judged on Peace making not judged on being non-egotistical, faithful, etc. It’s not a faithful husband prize or a non-greedy prize etc, or at least it’s not supposed to be.
Kim Jong-un to accept US promise not to invade N. Korea??????
He lost his mind??? To believe the promises of the Nation Gang?????
Kim is no fool. China and Russia will stop supporting America in weakening opponents. America cares about what she wants and that is to be the BOSS.
Kim must tie Israel to this process and that is when the truth will surface. If Kim wants to die like Saddam and Qaddafi he can go ahead and listen to Trump and America.
Promise! Kim. Neither a promise are a written agreement is sacrosanct with the US government. Don’t be no fool.
The us government to keep a promise? Mmmm, you might want to ask any indian that one. Or mexican, or vietnamese,or lation, cambodian, anyone south of the rio grande for that matter. Ist the usa trustworthy of keeping a promise…
I wonder if something really bad has already happened in N. Korea after last September when the mountain they test their nuclear bombs under collapsed. Perhaps Kim Jong-un is humbled by a nuclear catastrophe he knows he cannot handle.