Trump Goes With His Gut for Kim Meeting

In a statement that was as shocking as it was provocative, President Donald Trump has said that he will rely on his gut instincts to help him negotiate with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un. This comes on the heels of a statement made by US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who described Kim as “a smart guy who’s doing his homework.” While he will surely be briefed on the key points of the meeting to take place in Singapore on the 12th of June, it is worrisome that the President shows an overtly offhand methodology as his main preference for dealing with a very delicate situation that is in the offing. Nuclear armament and nuclear weapons capabilities will be at the heart of this discussion, and more than just the US, it will be neighbouring countries like South Korea and Japan who will be watching closely how things proceed, as they believe themselves to be at the biggest threat from any potential breakdown in talks.

On Friday, President Trump attempted to foreshadow that if there was indeed a good outcome to his meeting with Kim in Singapore, he would invite the North Korean leader to visit the White House, shortly thereafter. While this sort of claim is seen as mere bluster, urging more focus on the upcoming talks rather than anticipating what things will be like afterwards, experts are rather sceptical about how exactly things will turn out. On the one hand, a historic meeting between leaders of North and South Korea last month seemed to promise to bring the schism between them of the last several decades to a more friendly resolution of sorts. On the other hand, President Trump was given a hot-and-cold response to his calls for dialogue with North Korea, who first agreed, and until last week, threatened to pull out of any talks with the US.

The world waits with anxious hope about the outcome of the meeting in Singapore between these two leaders.