In a historical gesture, that all Americans and the world would support in the hopes of nuclear de-escalation and prevention of military options that could lead to war, is the announcement that the United States President Donald Trump has agreed to a meeting with the North Kora’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. We endorse and applaud the diplomatic effort and political courage to do so with the historic knowledge of U.S.-North Korean talks over the past two decades, of which North Korea gains credibility for bringing the most powerful nation in the world to the table and then withdraws from them, never with intent and actions to show commitment to the terms of the talks.
It is a rare detent grace period stemmed from the new South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his government’s leadership, propelled by the Olympics on the Korean Peninsula that induced a discharged environment that was enhanced by the United States and the Republic of Korea in their postponement of scheduled annual military exercises to bring North Korea to the table. Importantly added and noted for President Trump to engage is the high rate of readiness in U.S. military capability and capacity that has accelerated over the past year to include the confidence of negating and defeating any and all North Korean ballistic missile capability to strike U.S. territory.
With the reality of China having to be part of the solution for a deal to succeed, it is a considerably courageous and a proactive first step by the United States that would presume China is being well informed by President Trump as terms would have to include their approval. It is in sum – a perfect storm of opportunity for the United States to negotiate from strength in alliances along with military readiness to negate North Korea’s threat for a short period of time before the reinstatement of the annual U.S. and Republic of Korean military exercises. For resumption of these exercises will incur Kim Jung Un to withdraw from the talks, blame America and the Republic of Korea to save “face”, and resume nuclear and ballistic missile testing to attain mass production of these weapons in becoming a nuclear nation.
At the crux of the negotiation, in this perfect storm in a perfect world for the United States, is the denuclearization of North Korea at one end of the spectrum. On the other end for North Korea, it is the guaranteed survival of its regime and its prosperity which would imply elimination of the U.S. and Korean direct military threat and intent to North Korea. China would support both extremes, but unless miracles can happen, there is a probability of having neither happen and at best some sort of compromise between the both extreme positions.
The United States’ and its allies’ ballistic missile defense capability and capacity growth on the Korean Peninsula, in the Pacific, and in the United States remains a critical mandatory component to either extremes of a deal and all compromises of a deal that could come out of these talks, to include the most likely reality of no deal with North Korea withdrawing from the table.
As a previous U.S. President in October 1986, in the opening rounds of negotiations with the Soviet Union in Reykjavik, Iceland, showed the demonstrated technology leap of eliminating a nuclear ICBM, so should this President in his opening round of negotiations show the advancement of technology leaps in eliminating nuclear ICBMs.
It is “the Art of the Deal” and it is what President Trump is renowned for. It is the best option of all the options on the table to resolve the North Korean nuclear dilemma for our nation and for the world.
