For Washington, what’s better than a chance for peace with Pyongyang?
US President Donald Trump wrote a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jongun, whom he was supposed to meet in Singapore on June 12, to however cancel the upcoming summit, underlining “the tremendous anger and open hostility” in Kim’s recent statements
In fact, the Korean Peninsula has been through a series of dramatic but prospective and positive changes, however all ceased abruptly on May 24, when Trump announced to pull out of the summit. To be noted, on the same day, Kim demolished Pyongyang’s nuclear facilities in the north to demonstrate his determination for peace and reconciliation. But all winded up in a letter that conveys certain diplomatic politeness and more strategic toughness. In Trump’s words, “the missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.”
The question is: For Washington, what is better than an opportunity of peace with Pyongyang? Is it about the “pride and prejudice” for the most powerful nation with the most destructive nuclear weaponry in the world? Or, is it about “playing the trump cards” in this round of geopolitical struggle that so far seems to have not been played in the favor of the US?
The fact is that the “fury” in North Korean leader’s recent statements has been less “tremendous” and much less “substantive” than the US determination to continue to push forward its strategy of “maximum pressure” on North Korea, despite the conclusion of Panmunjom Declaration, the release of the US hostages, and Pyongyang’s dismantlement of its nuclear facilities. It is therefore inappropriate to infer that North Korea’s “fury” and “caprice” are all about bluffing.
Pyongyang’s official response to Trump’s withdrawal has been relatively restrained, indicating a political willingness for a future summit. Nevertheless, Kim Kye- guan did mention North Korea’s possible reconsideration of its previous efforts and the overall approach after Trump’s unilateral decision. In view of the prospective peace and reconciliation, this is a truly sad but undeniable regression for all involved parties.
In the meantime, a considerably unbearable pressure has been laid upon South Korean government that has paid so much efforts in bridging the gap between Pyongyang and Washington. The regression virtually humiliated Moon’s administration. As Moon and his staff spared no efforts in mediating between Kim and Trump, it has been proved that at least on the matter of denuclearization, the divergence between Pyongyang and Washington is much more significant than that between the two Koreas. This not only signifies a setback to Moon’s diplomatic ambition and efforts, but also projects a challenge to the US-ROK alliance.
In the “Schrodinger’s Cat” experiment, the life of a cat in the box is described as the so- called “quantum superposition” which is the result of a random event that may or may not happen. More or less, so are the current relations and particularly the previous deal between North Korea and the US. When Trump finally opened the box and pointed to the dead cat, he was actually telling the whole world: the fate of the deal cannot be decided, until I said so.