Daily Times

Donald Trump may or may not be eyeing some kind of breakthrough on the North Korea nuclear question as his one true win on the foreign policy front. After all, Kim Jong-un last month dropped the un-explosive bombshell that he was ready to surrender his weapons programme. In exchange, of course, for direct talks with the US an end to international isolation.

Right now, the initial dividends seem to be paying off. Kim is on a tight schedule. First, there is the landmark inter-Korean summit next week; the first in more than a decade. Second, the much-anticipated Trump meeting is scheduled for sometime over the following two months. And given that Pyongyang has recently announced suspending — from immediate effect — all nuclear and missile tests, it looks like good news all round. Particularly for Seoul, which has done most of the heavy lifting to get here.

Yet it may turn out that the unquiet American president is no match for the North Korean Rocket Man. For what has actually been put on the table goes something like this: Kim has halted all tests, not so much as an inherent goodwill gesture, because he has no more use for them. Not when delivery strike capability and nuclear weapon completion have been verified. In short, Pyongyang has mastered the art of WMDs and is unwilling to dismantle such security guarantees at this point.

Nevertheless, this should not be dismissed out of hand, not so close to the big prize: the Trump powwow. For this alone will be a breakthrough; something that Kim’s father and grandfather before him were unable to pull off. Thus if the apprentice-president is sincere about moving forward — the rest may well be a piece of (non-uranium) cake. Especially now that Pyongyang has said it wants to prioritise economic prosperity for all its citizens through the lifting of international sanctions.

And even if what comes next is not all smooth-sailing, there is no cause for immediate concern. Rather, it may be seen as a vital lesson for this particular White House administration; one that underscores how peace cannot be secured peace by bully-boy tactics that include threats to destroy certain regimes. Just as preaching nuclear reconciliation does not sit well with directly challenging the Iran deal, which is backed by international powers as well as the IAEA.

Thus the Kim-Trump moot will serve both sides with an opportunity to master the art of diplomacy. But as things currently stand, North Korea’s opening offer is entirely reasonable. It is hoped that the show will go on.  *

Published in Daily Times, April 22^nd 2018.