Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
All the talking heads are now trotting out to explain the profound difficulties and inherent risks in any direct Kim - Trump negotiation.
So then why in the world did the S. Koreans think it wise to proceed with this meeting? These guys aren't amateurs.
Fareed Zakaria is reporting the S.Koreans weren't seriously proposing a Presidential-level meeting *at this time* thinking that N. Korea had not made enough concessions to justify the risk. Rather, they were passing on the Kim proposal.
The S. Koreans were in Washington to update the WH on the status of the Monday meeting with Kim. Then were themselves blindsided when Trump came down the hall (actually it was the other way around) and on the spot decided to *accept.*
If he is told by someone he trust that this is a bad idea he won't meet with, take pictures with, and shake hands with a world tyrant. It could be just another one of those things that president wonders why no one else thought of like; why can't we do a sneak attack?, why can't we have a trade war?, Why can't we cut taxes on the rich?, Why can't we just treat Kim like any other trusted leader of a country?, why can't we shut down the government?, He seems to be stuck in the 80's
If he is told by someone he trust that this is a bad idea he won't meet with, take pictures with, and shake hands with a world tyrant.
Unless its changed once again, it sounds like we formally accepted and so off we go.
But then some headlines (haven't yet read) say that Trump aides think a meeting won't come off simply because of the risk.
As with the opening to China, normally one negotiates the basics in secret THEN announces. (Even the face-to-face Kissinger - Chou En Lai meeting was masked in confidentiality with few even in the government knowing that Kissinger was in China to negotiate an opening. They did this trip to Pakistan then had Kissinger pretend to be sick for a few days and disappear into China.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by thriftylefty
It could be just another one of those things that president wonders why no one else thought of like; why can't we do a sneak attack?, why can't we have a trade war?, Why can't we cut taxes on the rich?, Why can't we just treat Kim like any other trusted leader of a country?, why can't we shut down the government?, He seems to be stuck in the 80's
My concern is that the President didn't think of "it," nor did anyone else in the Administration. Mattis and McMasters were in the WH that night and expressed concern but did not formally object. State was blindsided.
On the contrary. The White House had been taking a hard line in contrast to State that favored engagement. That's one of the reasons that the US envoy to N. Korea retired in frustration last week. No progress.
Trump heard out a Kim proposal (that was presented in such a tentative way by the Koreans that nothing was in writing, only progressive verbal transmissions) and said "yes" on the spot. One of the issues is that there needs to be a formal proposal from the N. Koreans so we know what we agreed to. Suppose if we don't like what we hear, perhaps that would form an acceptable rationale for an abort.
And for the "military hawks" any tension raised from that abort would be fine. For those who favor engagement, perhaps not so fine.
It did actually. The South Koreans - you know, the guys stuck in the middle - have been assiduously courting both sides skillfully turning the Olympics into an opening then flying back and forth.
Trump had the opportunity to be as bombastic as he wished on Twitter but then to go another direction. The North Koreans came to him or at least agreed first to a meeting.
Trump got all excited and said, yes, and then it looks like (perhaps), no, the next day.
Back to the world of the big boys where there are preconditions and careful steps, not just quick headlines.
How is South Korea isn't stuck in the middle? We spend so much money not to mention American lives since WWII on protecting them. If they want that to stop they can ask.
How is South Korea isn't stuck in the middle? We spend so much money not to mention American lives since WWII on protecting them. If they want that to stop they can ask.
In the closing days of ww2, our agreement with the Soviets was that they enter the Pacific war. We like to attribute the final Japan surrender to the use of atomic bombs but in fact the Soviets had moved their divisions into place and had *started* moving south into the Korean peninsula.
Post-ww2, we/they ramped up the cold war and North Korea remained communist-affiliated. NK invaded SK. We could have stayed out of it (it was just a little piddly amount of land) but Truman decided to use Korea as a starting point to counter Soviet aggression and off we went, with the conflict ending in the Korean police action.
And there we stayed. US post-war domino theory.
Now, with NK having nuclear weapons we are stuck more than ever. If we retreat from the DMZ, the massive NK military machine will quickly overwhelm SK with no way for the US to intervene without the threat of some sort of nuclear incident. Kim is crazy enough and has turned NK into a kind of Jim Jones camp.
And then, of course, he now has the missiles (or will). It won't stop there.
They should have conditions. Kim will gain enormous stature from any meeting with a US president.
Trump was really stupid to charge into this thing without getting something in return.
You're letting left wing pundits bungle your brain.
They already met with Clinton. And What "enormous stature" do they stand to gain? Their place in the global economy and within the UN doesn't change. We all know who they are; they're not some decentralized state--they're a sovereign nation, therefore they are worth talking to, especially when it comes to nuclear proliferation.
And Trump already got something in return--NK has agreed to holt further nuclear development and testing for the time being. That scales back the timeline of their capabilities at minimum.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
