The Henry Jackson Society today commented on the news that President Donald Trump has cancelled the summit he was due to have with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in a few weeks’ time.
Dr John Hemmings, Director of the Asia Studies Centre at The Henry Jackson Society, said:
“The yawning gap in trust between the US and North Korea means that, to some extent, this was almost inevitable.
“The liberal democratic beliefs and values of the US mean that dealing with a pariah state like North Korea was always going to be difficult. A state that still has concentration camps, regularly uses torture against its people and lavishes a cult of personality on its leader was never going to be one that a power like the US could easily negotiate with. Add that to the fact that North Korea is a pathological liar when it comes to its domestic ideology, its understanding of history and its manner of negotiations, and this was always going to be an uphill battle.
“The West must now come together over North Korea in an attempt to ensure that we resolve this crisis at the negotiating table.”