Trump Meeting Is Just What Kim Jong Un Has Always Wanted

[babylonsister]

Trump Meeting Is Just What Kim Jong Un Has Always Wanted
North Korea’s ruler and his predecessors have always wanted to be treated as equals by the United States and sought meetings with the president. Not one ever accepted—until now.
Ankit Panda
03.08.18 9:40 PM ET


It’s the furthest thing from a surprise that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un just invited Donald Trump for a summit. A venue has yet to be set and the agenda remains entirely up in the air, but Trump has accepted the invitation, according to an announcement Thursday evening by South Korea’s national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong. Trump will endeavor to meet Kim and “achieve permanent denuclearization” by the end of May 2018, according to Chung.

For more than two decades, successive North Korean leaders—first Kim Il Sung, then Kim Jong Il, and now Kim Jong Un—have sought to meet a sitting U.S. president as equals and enter comprehensive talks on the future of the Korean Peninsula. No sitting president has accepted; Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton both went to North Korea, but after their terms had ended.

There was a good reason for this U.S. refusal to meet with any North Korean leader. Not only do the two countries have a deep history of mistrust and enmity, with Pyongyang not only regularly threatening nuclear war but also having defected from multiple diplomatic agreements, a one-on-one meeting with a U.S. president would serve as a major propaganda coup for the North.

Last year, when North Korea credibly demonstrated that it had mastered the technology required to throw thermonuclear payloads across the globe, to U.S. homeland targets, its envoys began referencing the idea of a “balance of power” with the United States. The idea was for Pyongyang to place itself in a stable nuclear deterrent relationship with the United States.

North Korea has long sought to be treated as an equal by Washington; nuclear weapons, in addition to the pragmatic survival and deterrence benefits they confer, undoubtedly also bring Pyongyang status. Kim hopes to convert that status into diplomatic capital, sitting down with Trump for a comprehensive discussion about the future of the Korean Peninsula, nuclear weapon state to nuclear weapon state.

It’s not clear that the Trump administration has internalized this. I’ve long supported governmental talks between the United States and North Korea. Before jumping straight ahead to a leaders’ summit, the two sides could have started at a lower level, with Trump perhaps announcing the creation of a presidential envoy for the Korean Peninsula.

more...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-meeting-is-just-what-kim-jong-un-has-always-wanted?ref=home

[dchill]

1. "Its not clear that the Trump administration has internalized this."

It's not clear that they would understand that statement. Or the gravity and respect that the office of the Presidency REQUIRES.

[moondust]

2. Sanctioning bad behavior

on a whim.

Ten-year-olds craving fodder for their God complexes.

[Hoyt]

3. I despise trump and he'll likely screw it up; but, otherwise, I don't have problem meeting with Kim.

Should have been done long ago. Playing this "status" game is foolish, it hasn't helped NKorean people. Truth is, we are the only country to have used nukes.

While greatly concerned, gotta wish trump luck on this one. The worst part will be listening to trump gloat if Little Kim even indicates he might consider joining the 21st Century (even if we know he's as big a liar as trump).

But, I don't see how we pass this up.

[MFM008]

4. Putin is behind this

OR maggot is so DESPERATE for a Nobel nomination he gave away 16 states to get this NK meeting.

Who remembers a couple weeks ago his name was improperly presented for a Nobel prize. Probably by him.
He is such a POS.

[Blue_true]

5. I suspect.

That Trump will screw this up like everything else. What the sit down DOES do is neuter republicans, they can't call the democratic President who can and will get something done a traitor.

My feeling is that the Kim family and their top aides realize that the family has been in a box since the hot war. Kim seem to want a way out, IMO. I just don't think Trump has the skill to figure that out. My guess is a few billion for Kim and his sister and an ironclad promise not to prosecute them will have them off to a French riveria villa for life, a few million would get all of their henchmen out of the country - once they are gone reunification can take place.

[Docreed2003]

6. How long will the media give this administration the benefit of the doubt

“It’s not clear the administration has internalized this”...of course they haven’t! No one in this administration knows shit from shinola about anything! They never will. This is an impetuous move by an impetuous little man to try to bring praise and accolades on himself. He hasn’t thought passed that one iota.