US, North Korea Meeting Can Be a Flop

(Credit: White House/Shealah Craighead)

I don't think much will come from the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un on Tuesday, and it's not a bad thing. Those expecting the United States and North Korea to completely agree with every term that gets thrown onto the table during the first meeting in years are sorely mistaken. Will the US give an ultimatum to the dictator to give up his nuclear arms? Maybe. Will it work? Probably not.

The thing is, over sixty years of incredible tension is not going to be resolved over the span of the summit. I hope that relations start to thaw between our nations because I like the thought of not getting into another war with a country that has an insane leader at the helm. Great things have happened at summits in the past, and you can read more about recent US successes and failures here. (Pro tip: The New Yorker always writes extremely thoughtful pieces and I suggest reading them as much as you can.)

What I would like to see is a picture of the two leaders embracing each other. I think we need to start small. There's no need for Trump to feel like he needs to solve one of the more pressing national security problems in one sit down. I don't think any rational human expects him to.

I remember reading about constant missile tests by North Korea in 2013 and 2014, under the Obama administration, and wondering why we could not get to the negotiating table with Kim. I wrote it off as something that just couldn't be done with someone so unpredictable and full of himself. I may not like the man, but Trump has bullied his way to the negotiation table. His tactics don't sit well with a lot of Americans, but in this case, they have brought us closer to the denuclearization of a once fearless regime.

Trump has the chance to actually make history. Bill Clinton got played by North Korea in the mid-1990's and George W. Bush looked to the other side of the world after 9/11 happened. Obama decided to let the problem fester and only half-heartedly spoke of wanting to solve the issue. These factors, coupled with advancements before the USSR collapsed, led to the North Korea problem as we know it today.

Trump has always said that he is going to be a person that is going to disrupt everything we know about politics. He has made good on his word so far. I don't remember anything like this current climate under Obama or Bush (the latter half, I know I was young). Whether it's a good or bad thing has yet to be seen. However, if he does not fall into the trap that Clinton did, it would be a win in my book.

If this initial meeting goes well, hopefully the two leaders can agree to meet again soon to talk more extensive and sustainable terms.

If the whole thing gets solved and North Korea is given the opportunity to be a nation that can thrive and reintegrate into our current global society after years of isolation, it may get The Donald into the conversation for the Nobel Peace Prize.

That was a painful sentence to write, but it's true. I've seen people joking that they want to see this summit fail just so they don't have to give Trump credit. It's a bit ridiculous; I'd rather give him credit than go to war. I guess that's just me. I'm trying to make due with what we have.