polite_gandalf
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Australian Politics
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Canberra
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- helped ably of course by the most inept US President in history.
Kim's nukes, and threats to use them on US soil (specifically Guam) if provoked, convinced Trump to come to the negotiating table. Something that no other US president has been persuaded to do. This alone is a huge victory for Kim and NK - the standard response by past US presidents has been to not want to legitimise NK's regime by meeting with the Kim's as equals.
As for the actual summit, Trump made literally the only concession made - to abandon the war games off NK with South Korea. Furthermore, Trump horrified politicians and media alike in the US by describing them exactly for what they are - a provocation. So Kim not only removed a direct physical threat to his soil, he got the US president to admit they were wrong in the first place. Even further, Trump is now openly talking about removing US troops from the peninsular altogether. Trump got absolutely nothing in return. Nada, Zilch. Worse, he went in assuring everyone he would achieve clear and ironclad commitments by Kim to disarm. He didn't come close. All he got was some wafty vague claim that maybe, sometime in the future Kim might disarm. Pathetic.
Kim's status and legitimacy has skyrocketed overnight. Trump continues to talk about him in glowing terms - for now at least he is no longer "little rocket man" or some crazy murderous despot. Even while the issue of sanctions and trade prospects remains up in the air, really could Kim have hoped for any more from this summit? He not only secured the only actual concession made at the summit, he has also practically legitimised and protected his nukes - given that he is under no obligation whatsoever - I repeat, no obligation whatsoever, to get rid of them. But most of all, he is now a recognised "player" on the international stage, at least as far as the US is concerned. And that, is surely more than Kim could have dreamed of heading into the summit.
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