Here is the latest on what the expert class think of President Trump’s latest statements about negotiating with North Korea:
President Donald Trump said North Korea has been making “fools of U.S. negotiators” and “only one thing will work,” the latest hint of possible military action against the communist state.
The comments came amid fears that the North may test-fire another missile in connection with the anniversary Tuesday of the foundation of its ruling party. (……)
“Trying to ‘out Kim Jong Un’ Kim Jong Un in the threat department is not a winning strategy,” said Kingston Reif, director for disarmament and threat reduction policy at the U.S.-based Arms Control Association.
“It’s only making the problem worse and reinforces North Korea’s desire to advance its nuclear and missile development as rapidly as possible in order to strengthen deterrence against a possible U.S. attack,” he added. (……)
Past efforts at negotiating an end to North Korea’s missile and nuclear development have had limited success in exchange for concessions from the West.
Washington and Pyongyang signed a deal known as the “agreed framework” in 1994 in which the North committed to freezing its plutonium weapons program in exchange for aid. But that agreement collapsed in 2002.
Subsequent six-party talks involving the two Koreas, China, Russia, the United States and Japan fell apart in 2009 after the North launched a rocket shortly after President Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Reif pointed out talks have been effective in the past.
“A more effective strategy would be to marry continued pressure, deterrence and containment with pursuit of diplomatic off ramps,” he said. “There is no military solution to this growing problem.” [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but first of all President Trump’s makes comments are irrelevant to North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. They were rapidly pursuing them during the Obama administration and they are rapidly pursuing them now. It doesn’t matter who is in the White House the Kim regime has made this a national goal to become a nuclear weapons state regardless of who is in the White House. The US could re-elect Jimmy Carter and Kim Jong-un would still be pursuing nuclear weapons.
As far as President Trump’s comments, it is clearly a negotiating strategy for those that pay attention. Based off of Trump’s Art of the Deal style negotiations he wants the North Koreans to think he is about to launch a massive military strike on them. This actually strengthens the State Departments negotiations attempts to find an off ramp.
Plus anyone that thinks there has been any success with negotiations with Kim Jong-un is fooling themselves. Prior negotiations brought delays in the North Koreans nuclear program when Kim Jong-il was in power, but did not end it. Can anyone name one success negotiations has brought the United States during Kim Jong-un’s time in power? The Kim Jong-un regime has made it quite clear that they plan to become a fully developed nuclear weapons state.
However, as I stated before the off ramp is not going to be North Korea giving up their nuclear weapons program. At best some sort of freeze deal could be worked out which is what the Russians, the Chinese and the academic class has been advocating for in recent months.
