March 1, 2019--Diplomatic Ju Jitsu
One thing about which we are certain--Trump has an insatiable need for adulation.
He is indiscriminate about where it comes from or what it is about. He doesn't much care as long as he can bask in the spotlight and feel the love.
He must, then, by some measures, be feeling quite satisfied by the reaction to his "failed" summit in Hanoi with Kim Yong-un.
Conservatives are praising him for not taking the deal the North Koreans put on the table--they would dismantle one or two nuclear weapons plants in exchange for Trump agreeing to declare the end the Korean War and removing the sanctions that are crippling the North Korean economy.
Trump rejected the offer. Conservatives such as Ann Coulter (who is on the record as saying she doesn't care if Kim nukes Seattle) can't get enough of macho leaders who stand up to blustering strongmen, especially, oxymoronically, weak strongman.
And then moderates and liberals alike such as foreign policy experts such as Richard Haas and David Ignatius are also offering begrudging praise for Trump's refusing to give up too much (like the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea) in exchange for too little (the elimination of one or two nuclear facilities).
Since the collapse of the talks, they have been praising him publicly for holding his fire and behaving as a responsible chief executive. Most, prior to Thursday, thought, distracted by Michael Cohen's testimony before Congress, that Trump would commit to almost anything to assure a bold headline. Even if he agreed to a bad deal.
Here's what I've been thinking--
Though Trump and his team are being criticized for not doing enough prep work to help assure positive outcomes, I am feeling that they may have done just enough for them to get the result they most desired--an obviously flawed deal that would allow Trump to "walk," as he put it, and thereby be viewed as either tough or moderate enough to reap the positive responses he in fact received from diplomats, world leaders, and (most important to him) the media and opinion makers.
Rather then seeing him as stumbling ineffectively he is now, about Korea if not Michael Cohen, receiving the praise he most craves.
Or maybe he just stumbled onto some fools luck.
He is indiscriminate about where it comes from or what it is about. He doesn't much care as long as he can bask in the spotlight and feel the love.
He must, then, by some measures, be feeling quite satisfied by the reaction to his "failed" summit in Hanoi with Kim Yong-un.
Conservatives are praising him for not taking the deal the North Koreans put on the table--they would dismantle one or two nuclear weapons plants in exchange for Trump agreeing to declare the end the Korean War and removing the sanctions that are crippling the North Korean economy.
Trump rejected the offer. Conservatives such as Ann Coulter (who is on the record as saying she doesn't care if Kim nukes Seattle) can't get enough of macho leaders who stand up to blustering strongmen, especially, oxymoronically, weak strongman.
And then moderates and liberals alike such as foreign policy experts such as Richard Haas and David Ignatius are also offering begrudging praise for Trump's refusing to give up too much (like the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea) in exchange for too little (the elimination of one or two nuclear facilities).
Since the collapse of the talks, they have been praising him publicly for holding his fire and behaving as a responsible chief executive. Most, prior to Thursday, thought, distracted by Michael Cohen's testimony before Congress, that Trump would commit to almost anything to assure a bold headline. Even if he agreed to a bad deal.
Here's what I've been thinking--
Though Trump and his team are being criticized for not doing enough prep work to help assure positive outcomes, I am feeling that they may have done just enough for them to get the result they most desired--an obviously flawed deal that would allow Trump to "walk," as he put it, and thereby be viewed as either tough or moderate enough to reap the positive responses he in fact received from diplomats, world leaders, and (most important to him) the media and opinion makers.
Rather then seeing him as stumbling ineffectively he is now, about Korea if not Michael Cohen, receiving the praise he most craves.
Or maybe he just stumbled onto some fools luck.
Labels: Ann Coulter, David Ignatius, Kim Yong-un, Korea, Michael Cohen, Nuclear Weapons, Richard Haas, Trump-Kim Summit
posted by Steven Zwerling at
4:38 AM
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