The Limits of Trump’s Summit Diplomacy
Recent events in North Korea and Iran seem to put a question mark over the efficacy of President Donald Trump’s strategy of jettisoning multilateral solutions to international problems in favour of direct bilateral meetings. writes
The reports this week about possible continuation of missile activities at a North Korean facility raised questions over the success of US President Donald Trump’s recent meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. The highly anticipated and well celebrated summit in Singapore last June had the ultimate aim of halting Kim’s nuclear ambitions and denuclearising the Korean peninsula. But with allegations
Many Republicans had rejected the strategy, saying they don’t trust the North Koreans.
It is hard to verify what might be going on at the Sanumdong missile facility. But experts believe it would not be surprising if activity continued at the site, because North Korea never really committed to immediate halt of their nuclear and missile activities. But even if the North Koreans made such commitment, it is doubtful whether the US can effectively enforce and monitor compliance without the active involvement of the international community. But the Trump administration’s isolationist tendencies, which have seen America deliberately weakening or pulling back from multilateral institutions that the United States had helped to establish, is a clear disincentive to such international cooperation.
The US has lately alleged that China was quietly easing sanctions on North Korea and threatening Trump’s policy of maximum strength and maximum pressure on the North Koreans to force the Kim government to denuclearise. But what with recent US actions against multilateral institutions and agreements, many feel it is hard to really blame China if they choose to engage in any unilateral moves towards North Korea.
Trump has pursued a controversial US-centric policy since his inauguration in January last year, going it alone and brushing aside everyone else, even traditional American allies. The US ended its participation in the UN process to develop a Global Compact on Migration (GCM) in December 2017; pulled out of the Paris-based landmark UN cultural organisation, UNESCO, in October 2017; and withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council last June. On May 8, the US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also called the “Iran Nuclear Deal”. The deal on the nuclear programme of Iran was reached in July 2015 between Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany.
Condemning the Trump government’s withdrawal from the Iran deal, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in May, “I deeply regret President Trump’s decision to withdraw, and urge all other signatories to renew their commitment to the deal and avoid a broader escalation of tensions across the Middle East.”
Annan said the JCPOA was a “hard-won diplomatic achievement and proof of what robust negotiations on the part of all those involved can achieve”.
The immediate past UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, also condemned Trump’s decision. Ki-moon stated, “I am very worried about the risks of a new nuclear arms race, this time in the Middle East, as well as the negative implications for on-going negotiations on North Korean nuclear issues.”
Those negative implications appear to be playing out.
Trump’s surprise declaration on July 30 of willingness to meet with Iran’s leadership without “preconditions” was met with deep distrust in Tehran. Barely a week after threatening Iran, Trump offered to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss how to improve ties. In response, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Bahram Qasemi, said on July 31 that Trump’s offer contradicted his actions, pointing to the US’ moves to impose sanctions on Iran and put pressure on other countries to avoid doing business with it.
In continuation of his summit diplomacy, Trump has also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting on July 16 in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, drew angry reactions in the US. But outside the US, too, not many people had high expectations of the summit, just like other meetings before it, because of Trump’s predisposition to spurning international cooperation and electing isolation.
Warning As Europe’s Heat Nears Record As Europe bakes in another heat wave, forecasters said the all-time temperature record could be broken in the coming days, BBC reported. The current European record is 48C (118.4F) set in Athens in July 1977. Temperatures are rising in Spain and Portugal, aided by a surge of hot air sweeping in from Africa. BBC Weather says the current forecast for southwestern Spain and southern and southeastern Portugal is 47C (116.6F) on both Friday and Saturday. Portugal’s national record is 47.4C (117.3F), set in 2003. Spain’s peak of 47.3C (117.1F) was only set in July last year. In the UK, temperatures are expected to reach about 33C (91.4F) in the southeast.
US Accuses Russia of ‘Pervasive’ Election Meddling US national security chiefs have lined up to warn American democracy is in the “crosshairs” of foreign adversaries for elections in 2018 and 2020, according to BBC. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said: “We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to weaken and divide the US.” Coats said the efforts were less robust so far than in 2016, and did not appear directed at a single party. The Kremlin denies US claims it meddled in its last presidential election. US National Security Adviser John Bolton, FBI Director Chris Wray, National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also spoke at Thursday’s White House news conference. Coats said Russia was not the only country that was trying to intervene in US elections, without elaborating.