The other day, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un extended an unexpected invitation to US President Donald Trump in the form of a handwritten letter, inviting him to Pyongyang to discuss the prospect of the denuclearisation of his regime. Many people are fearing that this could be trap, since it all happened so easily, but also, if it is legit, it could be really great for the geopolitical climate. It would mean an end to the nuclear crisis in North Korea and the longstanding tensions between the volatile nation and the United States.
But of course, we are counting on Trump to pull off this fantastically delicate interaction, so who knows how this will pan out? He’s hardly the most careful and subtle of people, and never seems to think before he acts – but hey, the same goes for Kim, so maybe the two have more in common than their insult-laden rivalry would have you believe.
Trump has called Kim “short and fat” and “Little Rocket Man,” while Kim has called Trump a mentally incompetent “dotard,” but maybe that was just the unconventional beginning of a beautiful, blossoming friendship.
Trump has responded to Kim’s invitation by graciously accepting it and pledging to visit North Korea and have it all worked out “by May,” so we’ll only have to wait a couple of months to find out how this turns out. Now, is Kim only inviting Trump over to North Korea so that he can kill him? Or maybe he’ll be unveiling his master plan like James Bond’s villains do at the end of the second act? Well, if you were worried about Trump’s safety (which you probably, almost definitely weren’t), then you don’t have to be, because CIA Director Mike Pompeo says America “knows the risks” of Trump’s visit to Pyongyang.
‘He is going there to solve a problem’
Pompeo insists that Trump is not going to North Korea “for theatre,” but rather “to solve a problem.” So, he’s not going over there for the glamour or for the publicity or simply to be the world leader who went to North Korea and sat down with Kim Jong-un (which, admittedly, is quite an impressive achievement) – instead, he’s going there to defuse the nuclear situation and find a way to create peace between the two nations.
But this isn’t John F. Kennedy or Abraham Lincoln – it’s Donald Trump, so don’t get your hopes up too high.
Trump himself has said that his meeting with Kim could result in the “greatest deal for the world,” which are his own words. You have to bear in mind, though, that just because a meeting is taking place, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the talks will go well.
In fact, if they don’t go well and Trump doesn’t think before he speaks (which he never, ever does), then the tensions between the US and North Korea will be even fiercer than they were before. Yikes. That’s some pressure on this meeting.
Everyone was surprised by the North Korea meeting – even the Trump administration
Everyone across the world was shocked when Trump accepted the invitation extended to the White House by Kim – even his own administration. See, when the South Korean envoy brought over the handwritten invite, the President reportedly accepted it right there and then, on the spot, which no one saw coming. However, Pompeo says that the US government’s eyes are “wide open” with regards to the dangers and risks of the North Korea meeting.
Pompeo added that his theory on why Kim has offered up this invitation now of all times is that all of the sanctions enforced on North Korea by the United States have finally taken enough of a toll on their economy that Kim’s options are basically discuss denuclearisation with Trump or he won’t have a country anymore. These are dark times, but they’re dark for both countries, so hopefully they will double down and some good can come of it.
