Two days of seemingly friendly negotiations between President Trump and Kim Jong Un in Hanoi boiled down to a deal surrounding the Yongbyon reactor and other nuclear related facilities in the immediate area.
The deal that was to be had, seemingly, was some limited sanctions relief for shuttering Yongbyon. Kim was told early on that anything serious in the way of sanctions relief was a non-starter. All indications were that these two sides were going to have a deal somewhere around this, even before the talks, and apparently that was the track they were on until the last minute.
The question then, given how many different sites are around Yongbyon, was how North Korea interpreted the offer to close the Yongbyon site. Kim responded that it included literally everything on the three-square mile facility, North Korea was offering to give up everything, all-encompassingly.
When Trump was told they were offering everything, his immediate response was that he needed “more than that.” Exactly where this more than everything demand was going to come from was never specified, and Trump “walked away.”
South Korea is trying to salvage the talks, with both sides willing to engage further. At the same time, it’s not clear what North Korea can add to their offer to sweeten the deal, and Trump’s advisors are doubting North Korea will ever meet their demands.
Trump is such a genius. It’s just a shame there are only three or four people on Earth smart enough to understand his 6d chess moves.
Yeah that must be it
I don’t think anyone understands it but him.
But there seem to be many with a religious zealot’s faith
Yeah. And those three or four people that understand Trump are all institutionalized.
I feel completely betrayed by this president who campaigned on anti-interventionism. I believe he made a fatal selection in hoisting John Bolton to the role of National Security Advisor.
Bolton has stated more than once that his desire is to wipe North Korea off the map. This is not a person who should be involved directly in peacemaking.
In an interview with The New York Times in 2002, Mr. Bolton was asked about the Bush administration’s stance on North Korea. He grabbed a nearby book and placed it on the table. The title: “The End of North Korea.”
“That,” he said, “is our policy.”
Apparently you were cherry picking trump campaign statements, he was also very clear about exactly what he is doing now.
Apparently you were cherry picking trump campaign statements, he was also very clear about exactly what he is doing now.
There surely is something missing in the quirky narrative we are being fed. It just doesn’t seem to make any sence. Perhaps its that guy who habituated Plato”s Retreat. Or perhaps some big revelation about to break on the Trumpster & or the charters who comprise the cast of Trumplandia. If the NK nonstarter talks can quaIify as an event, then perhaps their nonclusive end can be seen as a distraction… We must not forget that Bonkers Boltman is a player, one with a few miswired neuro synapses. Whether the blame resides there is anyone’s guess.
George, don’t worry, in 2 years the Demoncrats will be in the WH and all will be well………………
Typical US.
I think when NK saw that Trump was threatening Maduro in VZ they may have been in the mind set of,,’we can’t trust this guy, we may be next’.
Trump’s advisors don’t want a deal.
I agree 100%, John Wells; Trump’s advisers certainly don’t want a deal. What they want is an attack on the DPRK. Trump sorely needs to fire all of these “advisers”; they’re nothing but traitors and murderers, as well as lunatics.
Kim has to be pissed that trump deployed 3 B-2 and 6 b-52s to Guam in January 2019. These are first strike weapons, and threaten the existence of North Korea, the very reason NK got nukes in the first place. Sorry, not buying Bolton has anything to do with it, just an ever barking dog. Time for Congress to end that war, then pass a resolution to halt a “preemptive” attack.
The only reason it hasn’t already happened is China.
Perhaps China, I lean to Japan, which has been very quiet about the whole process. There is a ton of butthurt there, and, Japan, particularly Okinawa are in the crosshairs for retaliatory nuke strikes. In range, and definitely abetting US militancy in the region. During the war, and up to now. I doubt the North would strike the South in case of a US unilateral preemptive strike, but Japan, yup. The poor Okinawans will pay the price….again.
I don’t think that Japan is buying Iranian oil and giving the one finger salute to the USA on sanctions like.China is.
Wonder how many people know that cutting off oil to Japan was one of the reasons Japan attacked the USA in WW2? No industrial country is going to meekly accept their most critical resource being controlled by a hostile power.
Russian ForMin Lavrov some time ago concluded that the US govt was incapable of concluding any meaningful agreements with other nations. I think that assessment stands and is more than ever applicable in current situations.
I think the Russian Foreign Ministry has astutely decided, why the hell bother. Other countries are prob going to do the same as evidenced by reports that NK has restarted aspects of their nuc programs.
From Cassad, a Russian news/analysis site: (google translation from Chrome)
https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/4826029.html
You’re absolutely right, Taras77, and so is Russian FM Sergei Lavrov. His conclusion that the USG was/is incapable of concluding any meaningful agreements with other nations is spot on. I, too, think that assessment stands and is more than ever applicable in current situations.
The Trump administration – prodded by Israeli PM Bibzy Nutty&Yahoo and the Trotskyists that surround him – scuttled the Iran Nuclear Deal and the INF treaty – a very bad move. I also think Nutty&Yahoo had something to do with the failed summit in Hanoi as well. Remember, Bonkers Bolton and Nutty&Yahoo are very close buddies .. I’m not surprised if Bonkers wrecked the summit at Bibzy’s request.
I, too, believe the Russian Foreign Ministry astutely decided, why the hell bother .. Other countries will probably come to the same conclusion, as evidenced by reports that the DPRK has restarted aspects of their nuke programs.
If the US suspended all sanctions just for the closing of Yongbyon, what would it accomplish? DPRK already has nuclear warheads built. Chem/bio, satellite and rocket launch stations, underground facilities, EMP capabilities that can strike the US. I do not agree with the US presence in South Korea or Japan, but from a negotiating perspective Trump did the right thing to walk on this totally insufficient ploy for sanctions relief.
antar, the USA will wipe out NK in the blink of an eye, if they ever wanted too. Sanctions will not hold forever,,an agreement, even small, should have been worked out, then build off that.
DC can impose or lift sanctions at any time.
The DC position is flatly insane.
If I am offering something I can take back at any moment in exchange for something that would take years or decades for the other party to go back on I for damned sure offer everything up front then it is on them. If they renege it cost me nothing.
But behaving as DC does would make anyone with ny sense have reasonable concern that after destroying facilities it took years to build DC would just welsh.
As a matter of history DC welshes all the time.
“If the US suspended all sanctions just for the closing of Yongbyon, what would it accomplish?”
The North Koreans say that they didn’t ask for suspension of “all sanctions,” just partial relief.
That’s how it works. One side gives a little, the other side rewards them with a little, then on to the next step.
And in fact Trump, while being bellicose for the domestic American political market, did throw them the bone of suspending some military exercises.
Kim went home and played at rebuilding a nuclear test site, but he’ll probably end up coming back with a little more as well.
And then it will move on to the next thing.
agree, some innocuous sanctions relief that cannot be misapplied should have been given.
I think Trump is bellicose because he enjoys being bellicose. It’s just coincidental that it’s also what calms the war party down.
“suspending some military exercises” I dont think that was a true concession. South Korea,, by agreement with the North was not going to participate in those exercises. Mostly, those exercises are about sea invasion of the North with SK marines. Without SK marines, the exercises mean nothing. Kim has kept non participation quiet as to give trump the illusion, and media coverage, that he is doing something to further the peace process, which he hasn’t.