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Source: 30dB.com – Trump-and-North%20Korea
The two leaders have had a diplomatic on-again, off-again relationship, which caused the proposed June 12 summit to be cancelled mere weeks ago before it was reinstated. The North Koreans weren’t pleased with comments made by National Security Advisor John Bolton and Vice-President Mike Pence, both of whom publicly raised the specter of the “Libyan model”—a reference to what ultimately happened to Muammar Gaddafi after he gave up his nuclear ambitions. But that flap has apparently been papered over. With a shot at establishing peaceful relations between the two countries (and winning the Nobel Prize he cares so much about), President Trump has prepped with his customary gusto and attention to detail—which is to say, he hasn’t done any legwork. Trump told reporters last week: “I don’t think I have to prepare very much. It’s about attitude, it’s about willingness to get things done. So this isn’t a question of preparation, it’s a question of whether or not people want it to happen, and we’ll know that very quickly.” Much of the behind-the-scenes discussions to set up the summit were led by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin, but that framework will be on fragile ground when two volatile communicators sit down to hash out denuclearization, sanctions, and possibly a formal end to the Korean War. Twitter is on the fence about what’s to come—over the past seven days, “Trump + North Korea” has a 46 percent positive score. –Alex Shultz
Republished from 30dB