The North Korea Meeting: Has Trump’s Cancellation Sacrificed Korean Peace Or Has The USA Backed Out Of A Unwise Deal?
Donald Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy leaves many bewildered and uncertain.
Scenario
In a strongly worded letter on May 24th, President Trump announced his decision to cancel his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, originally scheduled in Singapore on June 12th. Trump’s letter cites the “tremendous anger and open hostility” Kim Jong-Un’s government has supposedly displayed towards the United States as reasoning.
Critics are quick to point out that Trump’s negotiating skills were weak and that Kim Jong-Un gained much from the cancellation. The progress made on Korean peace by South Korean President Moon Jae-In and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un seems to be cut short by Trump’s announcement.
President Trump’s diplomatic track record hasn’t improved, either; the cancellation of this meeting adds to his rejection of the Iran Nuclear Deal (The Blueprint: Edition 1) and the Paris Climate Accords.
However, many say that a meeting at this stage of negotiations would be premature and poorly-planned, agreeing with Donald Trump’s decision to cancel.
On the surface, Kim Jong-Un seems to be cooperating: he’s destroyed his nuclear test site and released three American prisoners, all in accordance with American wishes.
Under further inspection, however, Kim Jong-Un’s motives aren’t so aboveboard. His unwillingness to destroy his nuclear stockpile has lead many to doubt his trustworthiness, especially John Bolton, an American National Security Advisor. Bolton wants North Korea’s disarmament to follow the “Libya Model”: a complete stop to its nuclear program, allowing foreign inspectors to verify their disarmament.
Whatever the case may be, Trump’s cancellation of the meeting has left many questions hanging in the air. Will Korean peace endure? What actions will Trump take to remediate the situation? How will North Korea’s nuclear program continue? Only time will tell.
Works Cited
Blake, Aaron. Trump’s weirdly wistful breakup with Kim Jong Un – The Washington Post. 24 May 2018. 24 May 2018.
Noack, Rick. Trump just contradicted Bolton on North Korea. What’s the ‘Libya model’ they disagree on? – The Washington Post. 17 May 2018. 24 May 2018.
Stokols, Eli and Matt Styles. Trump pulls out of planned nuclear summit, says he will be ‘waiting’ if North Korea changes its approach. 24 May 2018. 24 May 2018.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/24/politics/trump-north-korea/index.html