Kim may hold on to his nuclear ace

THE historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in Singapore yesterday has been met with optimism by some and scepticism by others.

Though both parties made all the right noises and further negotiations are now set to follow, the likelihood of total de-nuclearisation in North Korea still appears nebulous.

The meeting was billed as the “summit of the century”, which must have fed both Trump’s and Kim’s considerable egos and shared sense of self-importance.

Kim craves being recognised as a player worthy of meeting and negotiating with the “most powerful country in the world”.

And Trump, who attaches great value to being the first or the best, would surely love nothing more than a Nobel peace prize for his efforts on his mantelpiece.

There are those who believe the summit was rushed, a gamble and that Trump’s words before it – that “attitude” was more important than preparation – could hardly augur well.

Only time will tell whether Trump sufficiently speaks Kim’s language, figuratively of course, to succeed where other presidents and countless negotiators have failed.

Perhaps Trump will surprise us – he certainly did when he won the US presidency – though many remain doubtful that, despite yesterday’s global PR moment, North Korea will go on to abandon its nuclear and missile programmes altogether.

These frightening capabilities, are, after all, Kim’s big insurance policy against possible future efforts by the West to terminate his rule.

Let us not forget that North Korea is still one of the most brutal, propagandistic and fanatical dictatorships in the world.

Would Kim forfeit his ace card and risk ultimately being toppled anyway?

That is what happened to Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, after all.

On the other hand, North Korea has faced crushing diplomatic and economic sanctions as a result of advancing its nuclear and missile programmes.

Perhaps the illusion of a friend /equal in the West is all it will take to kick-start meaningful concessions.

Stranger things have happened.