I mean, the only person who might act as though Kim was dealing in good faith, given how the DPRK has treated every single other US President, would be a zany narcissist who thinks all he has to do is walk into a meeting room and everyone bows down to his Elite Deal-Making Skills. Oh, wait …
North Korea is rapidly moving the goal posts for next month’s summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump, saying the United States must stop insisting it “unilaterally” abandon its nuclear program and stop talking about a Libya-style solution to the standoff.
[…] “However, if the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit,” he said, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name. He also questioned the sequencing of denuclearization first, compensation second.
North Korea is the international Lucy-with-the-football, more than happy to bob, weave, delay, play for time, and ask for favors up front of any concessions on their part, before yanking the football away and letting people who thought they were in serious negotiations with them fall flat on their backs.
Far better presidents than Trump have gotten caught in the same pattern.
The biggest danger here is the Donald becoming so incensed over having been played and being made to look the fool that he pursues a more dire punishment of North Korea. …
WaPo: North Korea expands threat to cancel Trump-Kim summit, saying it won’t be pushed to abandon its nukes
Trump's viewpoint is very probably "Of course they will make a deal with me! How can they not?" Narcissists are dangerous in positions of power. If it comes unstuck, and I reckon it will unless he lets North and South work it out for themselves, he will do something stupid in retaliation for the perceived slight. Then it will be up to those around him to stop things escalating.
Dave, I see it differently.The genesis of the north nuclear program was a result of the joint military exercises by America with the South Koreans. Tge continuation of such exercise renders the whole agreement invalide.
+abeka robertson Except this exercise has been long scheduled, and there was (apparently) no "This is a deal breaker" concern raised about it by any of the DPRK in recent negotiations. This is Kim & Co. playing the US to see what they'll do.
Mr. Pot have you met Mr. Kettle?