President Trump landed in Singapore on Monday for a summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. While already historic by the mere meeting alone, there is real work to be done to secure a safer United States and Asia-Pacific region for our allies. Here are four goals that the president should have for the meeting:
1. Agreement to a yearly summit between the United States, South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, and Russia
The main goal of the trip is to secure a safe Asia-Pacific region. Speaking to the media in Singapore, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the summit a “mission of peace.” One obstacle to peace and understanding between the United States and North Korea has been a lack of communication. No U.S. president has met Kim or any leader of North Korea. Creating a framework for more frequent dialogue would be a significant improvement for international relations.
A more regional meeting is appropriate due to the levers of trade and security present in the region that if triggered would have catastrophic results. China, no friend to the North Koreans, has hosted Kim twice in the past several months as Beijing levels and lifts sanctions depending on the North Koreans’ behavior as well as that of the United States’ participation in military drills with South Korea and Taiwan. Multilateral talks can only improve the tension between megapowers operating in the Pacific and South China Sea.
2. Establishment of a U.S. Embassy in Pyongyang
The U.S. too often has to negotiate tensions through intermediaries. Pompeo’s Easter meeting with Kim was a marked improvement in our communication strategy, but the U.S. cannot have effective diplomacy simply with grandiose trips by a major leader within our government.
On Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition said, “As President Trump embarks on this historic quest for peace, I can assure you that he also goes with the family of Otto Warmbier on his heart.” Warmbier, a former University of Virginia student, was tortured to death by the North Koreans and was only returned after prolonged negotiations by the U.S. through the Swedish Embassy. This is entirely unacceptable. We must establish even a small U.S. presence on the ground in North Korea for the sake of diplomacy and to advocate on behalf of U.S. citizens that face issues while abroad.
3. Creation of a cultural exchange program
Similarly, the U.S. must be able to engage with North Korean citizens. Some of the best American diplomacy occurs through soft power diplomacy through programs like the Fulbright Fellowship, Peace Corps, and other cross-border exchange institutions. Americans are effective abroad because of the positive promises of freedom, openness, and acceptance that we carry with us. And Americans are effective neighbors at home when we receive foreign guests and allow them to immerse in a culture devoted to advancing the cause of liberty.
Opening the door for the State Department to begin even a humble program of communication between our peoples would be a tremendous advance along the road to greater international safety and cooperation.
4. U.S. inspection of nuclear facilities and agreement to nuclear nonproliferation
North Korea must give up its nuclear weapons. Pompeo describes the mission of the summit as “the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the only outcome the United States will accept.” He believes that perhaps this goal is achieved as “North Korea has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearize, and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere.” This is the most important and simultaneously the most difficult goal because, as Pompeo noted, “there is a long history where North Korea has viewed its nuclear program as providing the security that it needed for the regime.” Surrendering a program vital to self-preservation will not be an easy sell.
There is some hope, however, as the resolve of the Trump administration seems unwavering. Pence recently stated that “after years of failed policies and broken promises last year, President Trump ended the failed policy known as strategic patience and he took a strong stand.” There is also an indication from both Trump administration and North Korean officials that economic aid to the North Koreans is no longer an option or expected. This sets the stage for a take-it-or-leave-it summit.
This is a historic meeting in a decadeslong march towards greater diplomacy in the region. A brutal dictator meets with an American president for the goal of securing peace. While nuclear disarmament is our paramount mission, we shouldn’t lose focus of other more tangential goals that can create change and stability in an Asia-Pacific arena that has been far too turbulent for far too long.
Tyler Grant (@The_Tyler_Grant) was a Fulbright Fellow to Taiwan. He studied international law at University of Virginia School of Law and was a double major in Chinese and politics at Washington and Lee University.
