No one really expects President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to strike a comprehensive denuclearization deal at their Vietnam summit this week.
But if they can reach agreement on verifiable steps to keep the process moving forward, that’ll be plenty.
The president’s done OK so far. As he noted this month, “Our hostages have come home,” and “nuclear testing has stopped and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months.”
Yes, US intelligence analysts remain deeply skeptical of Kim’s willingness to rid himself of all weapons of mass destruction, including ICBMs. And since the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, Pyongyang’s actions confirm that analysis, including continued production of nuclear fuel.
But Trump, dangling economic concessions, a formal end of the 69-year state of war and improved relations, firmly claims he can convince Kim that, without nuclear weapons, North Korea can become an economic power.
Of course, the endgame is almost irrelevant. Ever since it first vowed in 1994 to scrap its nuclear program, North Korea has failed to live up to any of its agreements. That’s why verification is so critical and why an ongoing series of intermediate steps make the most sense.
Some of the steps Kim could take: shutting down his Yongbyon complex, the North’s only source of plutonium; agreeing to no longer produce fissile material; and opening all facilities to international inspectors.
Some fear Trump might give away too much in return for too little. Yet his history suggests he’s always willing to walk away from a deal that’s not good enough.
And so far the president’s unorthodox diplomacy is succeeding better than his critics ever did.