We've been down this road before. In the 1990s the Clinton administration worked out the terms for the so called Agreed Framework which could have succeeded had Washington kept up its end of the deal. But it didn't. Washington failed to meet its obligations, so now we're back to Square 1, and the Trump administration has to decide whether they're capable of making a rational decision or not. (Don't hold your breath) Here's how Jimmy Carter summed up the previous agreement in a Washington Post op-ed in 2010:
"Pyongyang has sent a consistent message that during direct talks with the United States, it is ready to conclude an agreement to end its nuclear programs, put them all under IAEA inspection and conclude a permanent peace treaty to replace the 'temporary' cease-fire of 1953. We should consider responding to this offer. The unfortunate alternative is for North Koreans to take whatever actions they consider necessary to defend themselves from what they claim to fear most: a military attack supported by the United States, along with efforts to change the political regime." ("North Korea's consistent message to the U.S." President Jimmy Carter, Washington Post)
There's a peaceful way out of this crisis. Just sit down and negotiate. It's no big deal. People do it all the time. Heck, if Trump is half the wheeler-dealer he claims to be in his autobiography, it should be a piece of cake.
Let's hope so.
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