Trump Is Uniquely Unsuited to Making a Deal with North Korea

The North Korean government has been telling anyone that will listen that it isn’t interested in talking to Trump.

Dmitri Alperovitch and Sergey Radchenko make the case for renewed engagement with North Korea under the next Trump administration:

North Korea is that weak link. Its leader, Kim Jong-un, is a cynical and deeply transactional despot whose insecurities, ambitions and questionable commitment to China and Russia provide America’s best opening. Mr. Trump’s history with Mr. Kim during his first term positions him better than any previous president to make a deal with North Korea that is advantageous for America.

Mr. Trump should capitalize on this by seeking a lasting peace deal and formal diplomatic relations with North Korea, an outcome that would have important benefits for the United States.

Diplomatic engagement with North Korea is the right idea, but there is not much reason to think that Trump knows how to do this or that Kim would be receptive to a new round of talks after Trump burned him the last time. The North Korean government has been telling anyone that will listen that it isn’t interested in talking to Trump. There haven’t been any signs that Trump and his allies want to make another attempt.

One of the big flaws with this proposal is that Trump’s history with Kim makes him uniquely unsuited to conducting successful negotiations. He is not in a good position to make a deal because he made such a mess of his previous attempt.