Wednesday, March 7, 2018

What If Trump's North Korea Bluster Actually Worked?

Suddenly, South Korea said Tuesday that the North was open to talks with the U.S., including on renouncing its nuclear weapons program-something Kim Jong Un had never put on the table before.

The seeming contradictions in Washington's rhetoric in the summer and fall of 2017, he said, were an attempt to "Tune the radio" with North Korea, sending different signals to see how the North Koreans would respond.

Those who study North Korea and proliferation were divided on just how successful Trump's approach as a whole-which has also included tightening sanctions and persuading North Korea's allies, including China, to increase pressure on the country-has been in facilitating the offer of denuclearization talks.

DiMaggio, who has visited North Korea several times, pointed out that the North Koreans said earlier this year that they have, in Kim's words, perfected "The national nuclear forces." "So if were to move forward, they would be coming to the table as a country that possesses nuclear weapons," she said.

According to an unofficial translation of the South Korean remarks, the North also agreed to a summit meeting with the South Koreans in late April, and to establish a hotline between the North and South Korean heads of state.

According to the translation, the North "Expressed its willingness to begin earnest negotiations with the U.S. to discuss denuclearization issues and normalize North Korea-U.S. relations" and promised not to "Resume strategic provocations such as additional nuclear tests or ballistic missile tests while the dialogue continues."

It added: "The North also made clear that there is no reason for them to possess nuclear weapons as long as military threats to the North are eliminated and the regime's security is guaranteed." On past occasions, this has meant that North Korea is willing to denuclearize only if the U.S. removes its troops from South Korea and ends its alliance with Seoul-things the U.S. has said are not negotiable.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/03/north-korea-trump-talks/554939/ 

No comments: