My head is literally spinning… I don’t know what to make of it
North Korea policy analysts reacted with a mixture of cautious optimism and outright disbelief after South Korean officials announced Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump would meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un sometime over the next few months.
The move ― whenever and wherever it takes place ― would be an unexpected moment in history between two leaders who have taken political posturing to new heights through a string of bombastic statements and missile launches. It would also be the first meeting ever between a sitting U.S. president and the Kim regime.
As the news broke on Thursday evening, some foreign policy experts reacted with stunned missives posted to social media and immediately began contemplating just what the North Koreans hoped to gain from the meeting, and why now.
Honestly, it was stunning. I don’t think you’d be able to find anyone who follows this issue closely that would’ve predicted that announcement tonight, said Alexandra Bell, the senior policy director at The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. I would say that my feelings on the issues are guarded optimism.
Trump has long pledged to wage a campaign of maximum pressure on North Korea in an effort to convince the regime to abandon its rapidly developing nuclear weapon program. American officials recently said they’d be open to a dialogue with North Korea if the country agreed to give up its weapons beforehand, and just last month Trump said he’d be willing to talk, but only under the right conditions.