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NEW YORK TIMES: “From March 3rd edition of the New York Times: “In a dinner at the Metropole Hotel the evening before, mere feet from the bomb shelter where guests took cover during the Vietnam War, Mr. Kim had resisted what Mr. Trump presented as a grand bargain: North Korea would trade all its nuclear weapons, material and facilities for an end to the American-led sanctions squeezing its economy.
“An American official later described this as “a proposal to go big,” a bet by Mr. Trump that his force of personality, and view of himself as a consummate dealmaker, would succeed where three previous presidents had failed.
“But Mr. Trump’s offer was essentially the same deal that the United States has pushed — and the North has rejected — for a quarter century. Intelligence agencies had warned him, publicly, Mr. Kim would not be willing to give up the arsenal completely. North Korea itself had said repeatedly that it would only move gradually.”
Readers of NewsLanc are aware of the disdain that we have had for Mr. Trump, long before he became President of the United States.
But we do not criticize his negotiations with Kim Jong-un.
Our sense is that considerable progress is being made to lay a solid foundation for future agreements with an adversary who is a slippery in its dealings as has been Mr. Trump throughout his life time.
Also we are heartened that Mr. Trump surrounds himself with experienced but hawkish advisors. National Security Advisor John R. Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are pragmatists and highly regarded by Conservatives. Bolton may not be the best person to deal with NATO, but he may well be exactly what is needed to protect the USA fro once again being deceive by North Korea.
Negotiations take time. Walking leaving prematurely emphasizes a momentary deadlock has occurred because of the rejection of offers that are being repeated by Kim but are not acceptable to the USA.
Now both sides can step back and contemplate the situation and there are numerous potential intermediaries to sound out possible compromises.
What we think we are witnessing is a process, not a result. We encourage President Trump to listen to advisors, show rare discipline, and stay the course. And we hope that Mr. Trump’s many adversaries will be constructive in their criticism of his negotiations with North Korea.
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