When Donald Trump’s policy of detente toward North Korea began in March of this year, there were many reasons to be skeptical. Anti-American bellicosity has become a central component of North Korean national mythology. There’s plenty of evidence that Kim Jong-Un is just as vicious and depraved as his father and grandfather were—if not more so. And, most important, the Kim regime has a long history of lying to U.S. negotiators in order to extract concessions.

Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign was a welcome change from the failed approach to North Korea by his three predecessors. But his eagerness to meet with Kim Jong-un, his spur-of-the-moment decision to announce the summit, his demonstrated ignorance of history, and his penchant for declaring victory before any victory had been won – all of this left us concerned about the outcome of bilateral Trumpian diplomacy with the North Korean regime.