Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Trump meets Kim and sets the stage for fundamental change in Asia -– Here's what his critics missed


Fox News Opinion  "President Trump achieved a major diplomatic breakthrough Tuesday in his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dramatically improving America’s national security.

"Most fundamentally, Kim agreed at the summit in Singapore to give up his nation’s nuclear capabilities, the acquisition of which has been its foremost priority for decades. To get to this point, President Trump conceded very little.

"During the President Clinton-era negotiations with North Korea, the United States and our allies agreed to millions of dollars in food aid – easily converted to cash on the black market – and billions of dollars in so-called energy assistance that were a huge boon to Pyongyang. But the North kept its nuclear program.

"During the administration of President George W. Bush, U.S. negotiators offered cash payments to North Korea just to get the nation back to the negotiating table. We relieved pressure from tough financial sanctions and sent other assistance. That didn’t work any better than President Clinton’s approach.

"President Trump got to this point by ignoring all the establishment experts.

"This time, President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have insisted that North Korea undertake actual disarmament before real financial concessions or even sanctions relief. That, plus President Trump’s pressure campaign that involved working with allied militaries and governments around the world, proved to be decisive. This is proof that peace paradoxically comes from strength.

"So far, President Trump – in close coordination with our allies in Japan and South Korea – has agreed merely to suspend occasional military exercises. He also agreed to provide a security assurance to North Korea in exchange for its nukes – part of what Pompeo has described all along as convincing North Korea that giving up its nuclear arsenal will actually make it safer. " . . .

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