North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un announced that he is putting the nuclear tests to halt ahead of the meeting with US President Donald Trump, thus shocking the entire world. Even Trump’s biggest critics might have to acknowledge that its tactics work. His “speak loudly and wave a big stick” foreign policy is definitely something to be feared off because it is backed by the US military as the Syrian airstrikes confirm.
Can Kim Jong-Un be trusted? He announced the suspension of the nuclear program before, however, he did something which has given us the reason to hope for an agreement. Even though it went largely unnoticed in the media, he withdrew one of his requests, which is to remove the US troops from the Korean peninsula before the discussion takes place. In other words, the US military presence in South Korean may be separated from the denuclearization talks, which is a good thing. This is important for several reasons and the best possible outcome for America is too keep the troops in South Korea and maintain its strategic role in the region while they persuade North Koreans to give up on their nuclear program. But this is easier said than done.
The way Trump approaches foreign policy and the way America treats other countries differs widely from his two predecessors – George W. Bush and Barack Obama. These talks could represent a revolution in America’s relations towards the rest of the world. Both Bush and Obama had similar ideas of what the US should do on the world stage. They agreed that America’s role is to lead the world to peace and prosperity through the process of building a coalition in Bush’s case, or via “strategic patience” and “leading from behind” in Obama’s case.
Woodrow Wilson had the idea that America should be the one that will make the world a safer place and introduce the democracy and freedom. Back then, America was combating communism, but after the 9/11 attacks, they have been in constant state of war against terror. Bush and Obama appeared to be the last two presidents who represented such ideas, but everything changes with Trump.
Instead of focusing on the entire world, Trump asked himself “How do I make America strong and influential again?” And this clarified the goal this country has in front of it. Trump is sharp towards its opponents and keeps threatening with military power as we have seen in Syria, which is a revolution itself. Such threats have brought the situation in North Korea to a tipping point, and everything can change at the summit.
America needs to be careful in the talks with North Korea because they have to watch China’s every move as well. China would be delighted if the US troops were to leave the Peninsula because that would give them access to control two Koreas. The US troops have guarded this perimeter since 1950, and it would be unthinkable for them to leave the area. No matter what happens with the deal between the United States and North Korea, the US troops need to remain on the peninsula at all costs. That way, America would be able to control Pyongyang and limit Beijing’s influence in the region.
America also needs to install a ballistic-missile-defense shield which includes a system for using drones armed with hyperkinetic interceptor missiles which would facilitate the defense against Korea’s missile launches. Should the negotiations fail, this will be an important measure, and such system is having an increased number of supporters in Capitol Hill and Pentagon. Either way, Trump’s foreign policy revolution is happening. It may not be visible just yet, but the things are changing!
Source: nationalreview.com
