The meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un represents a big gamble with an uncertain outcome, according to the American media today.
While the liberal media, which are normally very critical of Trump, assess that the US president, by unexpectedly accepting Kim's invitation, may be trying to divert attention from the latest scandals and the investigation into Russian interference in the elections, the conservative media state that Trump should approach the negotiations with great caution.
The announcement of a meeting between the two leaders, who have traded harsh words, threats and insults for the past year, such as "grumpy old man" and "little rocket man", came as a shock, just hours after Trump's secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said there was a long way to go what kind of negotiations and that we should "talk about talks".
The unexpected news, coupled with Trump's timid nature, fueled fears that the US president was taking lightly an invitation to meet with the leader of North Korea, which has for years sought a meeting with the White House chief in an effort to gain international recognition while having a long history of reneging on deals.
The columnist of the New York Times (The New York Times) Nicholas Kristof assesses that Trump's "stunning" acceptance of the invitation to meet with the North Korean leader is "a dangerous gamble and a bad idea."
"Kim and Trump are showmen with a penchant for drama and surprises. This will make the summit exciting - but it creates a great danger if things go wrong," assesses Kristof, who also says that, in addition to doubts about the outcome of the meeting, Trump should be given credit for North Korea's concessions, as it increased economic pressure on Pyongyang with new sanctions and additional support from China.
The text added that "no one has made any money betting on North Korea's appeasement, and Kim may have unrealistic ideas about what the US will agree to."
He states that North Korean leaders have long craved international respect and credibility and want to be treated equally with Americans, so the sight of Trump and Kim standing next to each other is surely a triumph for Pyongyang and a gift to Kim, so it is confusing that Trump will afford it. .
Kristof states that the normal procedure for the summit is to first prepare the meeting well at a lower level and see what kind of agreement is possible, as well as to secure the release of the three Americans captured in North Korea. He adds that the representatives of both sides will certainly prepare for the meeting, but that only Trump's promise to come in May gives Pyongyang an upper hand and power in the negotiations.
Another concern is that Trump could timidly accept some "reckless option" in exchange for an agreement, says Kristof and satirically states Trump's possible position - "Should we withdraw US soldiers from North Korea and Okinawa? No problem, if you build a wall for me". He states that Trump has repeatedly accepted something in meetings, after which his associates would say that he did not think so, and the latest move with taxes shows that the US president does not always listen to his advisers.
Kristof says that the announcement of the meeting could benefit Trump as attention is diverted from the relationship with the porn actress and the investigation into Russian interference in the US election. A similar assessment is made by the Washington Post, which states that Trump has a history of unexpected announcements that divert attention from current topics - in this case, concerns about taxis and the growing threat to his mandate of the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the election.
The Washington Post nevertheless states that the agreed meeting is "an obvious victory - the biggest foreign policy victory of Trump's young administration" and adds that even pessimists say that Trump's firm attitude towards Pyongyang played a significant role in leading one of the world's biggest problems in a potentially positive direction.
The influential newspaper says that "the North Korean gambit is Trump's biggest gamble so far" and asks whether direct talks between Kim and Trump, two unpredictable leaders who have traded insults for more than a year, are the best way to start what will undoubtedly be complicated negotiations.
Another question is whether the US administration, with its dwindling team of experienced experts, is ready to face the "cunning" North Koreans.
The paper reports that the agreed meeting in May is a victory for Kim as he has sought confirmation of his status and North Korean power for years by offering direct talks with US leaders.
The editor of CNN (CNN) Chris Silica assesses that "there are very high, very terrible stakes" of the meeting between Trump and Kim.
Silica states that the announced meeting seems less like a diplomatic meeting between two world leaders, and more "like a much-anticipated match between professional wrestlers" or like a confrontation between two favorite reality TV contestants.
"When they sit down, can they put aside the posturing and playing games and do something real? Or will this moment — like so many of Kim and Trump's one-on-ones — just devolve into another episode of reality TV, with each trying to outwit the other , in a game whose nuclear key is bigger," says the CNN editor.
Analysts of the conservative television Fox News (Fox News) state that Trump must be careful and firm in negotiations.
Robert Charles, who worked in the White House during Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, estimates that if the summit leads to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the consequences for global security and President Trump's legacy will be enormous.
It is important, however, that Trump and his foreign policy and defense teams work with "extreme caution," Charles says, and assesses that North Korea's history suggests that the invitation to Trump "could be a trap, if not a deliberate distraction."
He states that the chances of success of the meeting remain small and adds that North Korea has repeatedly broken the promise it made regarding its missile and nuclear programs.
Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, says that Trump should insist that the meeting be held in the demilitarized zone and adds that by going to North Korea, the US president could provide legitimacy to a country where over 100.000 people are in camps.
He states that Trump must not agree to the cancellation of military exercises between the US and South Korea, that North Korea must not receive anything for just scheduling the negotiations, and that Pyongyang must present the details of how denuclearization will take place so that, as before, bought time with conversations.
Former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz says that given North Korea's past behavior, Pyongyang is likely using the talks to divide the US and its allies, to buy time while it continues its nuclear and missile programs.
Kim is likely to seek economic and energy aid without offering major concessions, and North Korea's offer of denuclearization could be tied to unacceptable demands, such as the withdrawal of US troops from North Korea, he said.
North Korea must allow inspections of all nuclear and missile sites, shut down and dismantle all nuclear and missile facilities, declare and dismantle all its nuclear weapons, and ship all nuclear fuel out of the country, the former CIA analyst said.
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