President Trump in in an interview with Bloomberg on Monday said he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un “under the right circumstances.”
“If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him [Kim Jong-Un], I would, absolutely. I would be honoured to do it.” He continued, “If it’s under the, again, under the right circumstances. But I would do that.”
“Most political people would never say that…but I’m telling you, under the right circumstances I would meet with him.”
Later on Monday the White House Spokesperson Sean Spicer said that while the meeting could happen ‘under the right circumstances,’ “those circumstances do not exist now.” He reiterated that in order for that to happen, there would have to be a “significant change” for that kind of meeting to take place between President Trump and Kim Jong-Un.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an interview in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, May 1, 2017. Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
When pressed further why President Trump would meet with Kim Jong-Un, Spicer’s response was simple, “He is still a Head of State” before pointing out that The President “is doing everything diplomatically, economically and militarily” to stave off the nuclear threat that North Korea poses.
The immediate reaction following the aired interview was that of mass hysteria albeit less unexpected. From the mainstream media that loathes this President and would love nothing but to undo the election and unseat him, to politicians and pundits, Trump’s statement was tantamount to an impeachable offense.
What these critics are ignoring is how President Trump has gone above and beyond all his predecessors with his approach to the North Korean conflict. While not drawing a red line, he has left “all options” on the table. This means military confrontation, harsher economic sanctions, diplomatic and economic pressure through China as well as psychological warfare which Trump is a master of.
Military Approach
The USS Michigan submarine in South Korea is part of a strategic military plan towards North Korea. Credit: Getty Images
On the military and psychological front, Trump has already dispatched powerful American military arsenal to the Korean Peninsula as deterrence and to send a strong message. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and Strike Group, the “armada” of Navy ships, the USS Michigan Submarine, THAAD anti-missile system and the two supersonic B-1B Lancer bombers that flew over the area in a training drill with the South Korean air force are all part of Trump’s calculated broader strategic plan.
The tough military stance is also communicating that this President is not one prone to too much talk or offering long-winded speeches like Obama but a man who is very decisive and acts swiftly.
Economic Approach
China is North Korea’s biggest trading partner and President Trump is urging Beijing to use it’s economic ties to de-escalate the situation.
On the economic front, Trump is urging China, North Korea’s closest ally to put pressure on the reclusive state. He is counting on Beijing to use its influence and economic relationship to pressure Pyongyang to de-escalate the untenable situation.
While Trump has not ruled out any military action, he hasn’t shied away from condemning North Korea’s provocation through its unchecked missile launches and bellicose rhetoric. At the same time, Trump is been playing coy about cyber-sabotaging North Korea’s missile programs before finally making diplomatic overtures by hinting at possible talks and saying something positive about Kim Jong-Un.
Psychological Approach
President Trump has said Kim Jong Un is a “smart cookie” and he would meet him “under the right circumstances.” Credit: REUTERS/KCNA
On the psychological front, Trump has been consistent with his campaign position that if he could talk to Kim Jong-Un, there was a “10% to 20% chance” he would talk him “out of his nuclear program” possibly over hamburgers.
On Sunday in an interview with CBS, Trump referred to the young leader as a “pretty smart cookie” in reference to Kim Jong-Un’s ability to consolidate power and starve off power-hungry generals including his own uncle who were perceived as threats to his rule.
“He’s dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular, the generals and others. And at a very young age, he [Kim] was able to assume power.”
On another interview with Reuters, Trump said this about Kim, “He’s 27 years old, his father dies, took over a regime. So, say what you want but that’s not easy especially at that age.”
While Trump is being tactical in his diplomatic overtures towards Kim Jong-Un and the regime in Pyongyang, his elevation of them does not in any way change America’s position about that country. This is Trump the businessman using his ‘Art Of The Deal’ approach to signal a tactical willingness to engage with a country that could pose a nuclear threat to the region, the U.S and the world.
Trump The Realist Not An Not an Ideologue
Unlike other Presidents before him, Trump is not an ideologue but a pragmatic Realist. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Trump is not a warmongering interventionist or an ideologue. He is a pragmatic realist who places less importance on issues like dictatorships or authoritarianism. What he sees is the danger of a nuclear-armed North Korea, something that has becoming a priority for his Administration. Trump also sees war as a last resort and has indicated openly he prefers diplomacy, or as he puts it, to seat down with your enemy to see if you can find common ground.
His latest statement on Monday that he would meet with Kim Jong-Un “under the right circumstances” signals that pragmatic but tactical approach to a very complicated and sensitive issue. Trump’s diplomatic overture may also be a signal to Pyongyang that his Administration’s goal is the denuclearisation of North Korea with no desire for regime change.
This same Foreign Policy approach is almost similar to the one used in Syria. Rather than engage in an all-out war as warmongers were starting to cheer, Trump sent a clear message to the Syrian government through limited, targeted strikes while simultaneously, he was acknowledging that regime change is not the alternative and was not on the table.
Diplomacy
President Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping are involved in a diplomatic maneuvrer to try and de-escalate the situation with North Korea and resolve it without using military option. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
The question is, why should President Trump not meet with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un? So far, every approach pertaining to the North Korean conflict has been tried by almost all preceeding American Presidents prior to this one. Threats, sanctions, boycotts, isolation; all have been tried and failed.
Instead, the conflict with North Korea has reached an impasse and a very dangerous one. In reality, this is a problem that successive U.S. administrations including the last one have allowed to fester to this stage. Politicians in Washington have been busy playing politics with the issue while North Korea pursued its ambitious nuclear program and orbiting the earth with weapons.
With all other options having failed, maybe President Trump’s approach should not be quickly dismissed or ridiculed but instead, it deserves serious consideration due to the intractable nature of this conflict. Diplomacy in international relations is not about meeting with those you agree or have something in common with. But rather, it is about meeting and seating down to engage with those you are in conflict with and would never meet under normal circumstances.
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