Big news tonight about a meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un. Most commentators, including many I respect, are suggesting that Mr. Trump is being played, just as previous presidents were. I’m not so sure. Here’s why.
What’s different this time around is that Trump is using a different lever, and he isn’t using it directly against North Korea.
Who does North Korea depend on for its survival?
China.
What does China depend on for its economic survival?
Trade with the United States.
I’ll leave it there.
3 Comments
Trump is pretty good at spotting a “chump” and this Kim guy is one solid “China Chump”. For Kim, he is third in a family of communist dictators who also happen to be regarded as a deity by the people.
Kim can either pull back and try to feed his people or go forward with his nuclear program and let them starve and flood into China. I think the weak card in this game is the new liberal South Korean PM. Like any liberal, he is easily swayed by communist charm offensives.
I agree with your analysis Malcolm.
However – where you’d “leave it there” – I’ll go further:
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/256899/left-right-russiagate
Given his consistent accuracy in reading Trump and his successful predictions over the past two years, it is worth paying attention to Scott Adams. This from back early January:
http://blog.dilbert.com/2018/01/03/president-trumps-nuclear-button-tweet-sign-insanity