Meeting Kim Jong Un Could Make Trump a Genius Negotiator or Another Dennis Rodman
Daniel Russel's Interview with VICE News
This picture taken on May 14, 2017 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un reacting during a test launch of a ground-to-ground medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 at an undisclosed location. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
In light of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, ASPI's Diplomat in Residence Daniel Russel sat down for an interview with Keegan Hamilton of VICE News to discuss what a summit meeting could mean for U.S.-North Korea relations and the North Korean nuclear program. The following in an excerpt from the original interview.
VICE News: Is Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un a good idea?
Daniel Russel: I think it’s regarded by half the world as a sort of impetuous hail Mary play, and by the other half of the world as potentially cutting through the Gordian knot of impasse on the Korean nuclear issue. Everybody hopes a summit might succeed in producing a breakthrough, but all the folks who have been paying attention over the years and have looked at the ups and downs of previous efforts are, I think, pretty skeptical.
VN: Why haven't previous U.S. presidents visited North Korea or met the North Korean leader?
DR: On the one hand, putting forward the president of the United States as the problem solver to hold a summit with an adversary is usually the culmination of a considerable and rigorous diplomatic process, not the first step.
The things you’d want a president past or present to know going in include the history of the previous efforts, including not just what we think happened but what the North Koreans think happened, how they remember it. You want them to understand the vocabulary — when the North Koreans says this, what they really mean is that. When they talk about hostile policy, that’s really code for U.S. military presence in South Korea.
You want to lay out, here’s what Kim wants, here’s what he’s aiming for. Conversely, on the things the U.S. might have to offer, you want the president to bear in mind that some things might not be as appealing or credible to the North Koreans as we think. In particular because they don’t trust us.
There’s a lot that we want a president to be familiar with and understand in getting ready for an engagement of this magnitude. Of course, each president has his or her own style. I’m not sure we’re going to see President Trump cracking the books, so to speak.