Its Complicated: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have been in an on-again, off-again relationship for quite some time now. They have had a bumpy ride so far with many ups and downs. They had a date recently which seemed to have gone much better than expected. For starters nobody died. They met in Singapore, had a huge feast with octopus starters and a choice of beef, fish or pork for the mains. The two of them held hands for the first time and shook to peace. They were all smiles for the camera, but their relationship is more complicated than that.
A not so romantic start-
The recent meeting of Trump and Kim in Singapore came as a shock to everybody. It was only a while ago that they both were calling each other names. "Rocketman" and "Dotard" are just a few of the words that were thrown around. Things started looking slightly better as North Korea joined the Winter Olympics hosted by it's neighbor, South Korea. Then Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met, for a "Historic summit". Both leader crossed over into each others countries, with a significant step, "The first step to peace". And then came the famous invitation that Kim sent to Trump. Not many had expected him to accept it, but then again Trump is known to be unpredictable. So the preparations were made, the date was set, the venue was decided upon. Everybody had held their breath for this "Truly historic summit". I guess Trump couldn't let the South Korean President have all the attention.
Rejection and love letters-
"I was very much looking forward to being there with you" is what the letter sent by Donald Trump to 'His Excellency' Kim Jong Un said. "Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place." he continued (he also couldn't help but mention in the letter that his Nukes were still better than Kims). The World faced yet another unexpected situation. Donald Trump was cancelling the "long planned" meeting with Kim Jong Un a month before it was to happen. "Is it time to panic now?" is the question that was probably surfacing the mind of many. Kim played of the rejection cool, he said that he was still interested in meeting, should Trump change his mind for "peace". A few high official diplomatic meetings, a giant letter from Kim Jong Un (literally it was ginormous) and eight days later, the meeting was back on.
The Summit-
Both leaders has made their way to the Capella hotel in Singapore where the meeting took place. A handshake between the two leaders had kicked off the summit, followed by a promise of denuclearization. "We are here today" were the sentiments shared by both leaders as they got ready for the meeting. The meeting itself was not that long. The two leaders had a private talk that lasted around 41 minutes. The only people present were translators and the two themselves. After the meeting Trump looked forward to a "terrific relationship". A few more handshakes later both of them sat down for a fancy lunch. Following which they signed a mysterious document in front of reporters. Trump promised denuclearization to start "very very quickly". The two bid each other farewell, and shook hands one last time.
The Mysterious document-
So, both Trump and Kim signed this "comprehensive" document. Could this finally be a detailed plan of verifiable denuclearization or is this another of the North's empty promises? It starts of by glorifying both leaders, feeding into their ego. The document has 4 main points, promising for "better relations" between the US and the DPRK. It also promises that the two countries will put "effort" to create peace and the same old commitment of "complete denuclearization" by the DPRK. So, while Trump definitely made history as the first US sitting president to meet a sitting North Korean leader, the document signed was nothing but old news.
Reactions back at home-
North Korea is not exactly known for its freedom of press or it's freedom of speech (both of which are non-existent). So, it comes as no shock that North Korea's "Media" was glorifying the "supreme leader" a lot more than normal. People in the hermit nation could only agree with what their leader did, the same cannot be said for the United States. Back in America, people (un-shockingly) had mixed views about the summit. Some thought that this was significant progress towards peace and the summit was possible only because of "Trump's tough stance" (by mostly people who vote republican). While other thought that the meeting gave Kim Jong Un the legitimacy that he and previous North Korean leaders have craved for so long. Many even believe that Trump gave Kim too much in concessions while really getting empty promises in return (by people that voted democrat). Trump was envious of the North leader saying that when he speaks, his people sit right up. He wished that America was a little more like it. Later on he played it of as a joke, "you guys don't get sarcasm", was he saying the truth or was that just an excuse?
So who won?
Trump said he did nothing but just "be there" and was able to get so many concessions out of Kim Jong Un. However, Trump did give Kim Jong Un a lot by just being there. It gave him the recognition of one of the most powerful leaders in the world. It put him in the worlds spotlight for something that is considered a "favor" to peace. He also achieved what previous leaders of the North couldn't do, cementing huge amounts of support back at home. But, it doesn't just end there Trump did give in some other things more openly. Like stopping "war games" which are military exercises done by the US and South Korea, which he labelled as provocative. He also said that he would contemplate toning down US military presence in the Korean peninsula. Trump did all that, and all he got in return was another empty promise that promises denuclearization. It's quite obvious who won.
Whats next?
This not the the end. More meeting more talks, and maybe even an invitation to the white house awaits. It is possible that a more detailed plan awaits the eyes of the world. Maybe Kim Jong Un will really give up his weapons, in exchange of security and better relations? Maybe Trump will get his Nobel Peace prize? But the odds are that with the North's history, this is another one of Kim Jong Un propaganda games. Lets just hope that President Trump can keep this regime contained.