Despite international media reports that the Second Trump-Kim Summit (Hanoi, February 27-28, 2019) was a failure I think it was successful.
Yes I think the US intelligence community is right in saying there is very little possibility that North Korea will de-nuclearize. Trump, working, within that assessment, is making the situation less dangerous.
As I argued on May 24, 2018 North Korea needs a nuclear deterrent more than most countries because all of its neighbours and the US, have invaded it many times. After decades of building up a nuclear deterrent at great sacrifice, North Korea is not about to disarm and thereby make itself vulnerable to takeover.
As well as deterring invasion nuclear weapons reduce the chances of large-scale conventional war.
The real danger is how nuclear armed countries threaten to use their nuclear weapons.
The problem with North Korea is not that it HAS nuclear weapons but how often it has threatened to use nuclear weapons.
North Korea and especially the latest Kim suffer from immaturity and an inferiority complex.
I think continuing to work on the ego of Kim, by allowing Kim to talk in Summits with the world's most powerful leader (Trump) is the best way to address North Korea's need to be noticed.
These Summits (with the first one being in Singapore, June 12, 2018) seem to be working. Have you noticed there has been no tension raising North Korean ICBM tests, nuclear weapon tests, or threats to use nuclear weapons since the Summits began in June 2018?
For all Trump's international mistakes he has been doing well over North Korea.
Pete
Yes I think the US intelligence community is right in saying there is very little possibility that North Korea will de-nuclearize. Trump, working, within that assessment, is making the situation less dangerous.
As I argued on May 24, 2018 North Korea needs a nuclear deterrent more than most countries because all of its neighbours and the US, have invaded it many times. After decades of building up a nuclear deterrent at great sacrifice, North Korea is not about to disarm and thereby make itself vulnerable to takeover.
As well as deterring invasion nuclear weapons reduce the chances of large-scale conventional war.
The real danger is how nuclear armed countries threaten to use their nuclear weapons.
The problem with North Korea is not that it HAS nuclear weapons but how often it has threatened to use nuclear weapons.
North Korea and especially the latest Kim suffer from immaturity and an inferiority complex.
I think continuing to work on the ego of Kim, by allowing Kim to talk in Summits with the world's most powerful leader (Trump) is the best way to address North Korea's need to be noticed.
These Summits (with the first one being in Singapore, June 12, 2018) seem to be working. Have you noticed there has been no tension raising North Korean ICBM tests, nuclear weapon tests, or threats to use nuclear weapons since the Summits began in June 2018?
For all Trump's international mistakes he has been doing well over North Korea.
Pete