The Hanoi Summit – We Asked Alexandra Bell What Happens Next in U.S.-North Korea Relations

Alexandra Bell

Security, Asia

"Even with a narrow focus, a step-by-step process is the only logical way ahead."

Abrupt. Confusion. Miscommunication. Misunderstanding. Chaos. Failure.

Not words that you want to hear in reference to nuclear negotiations. To say that things went poorly in Hanoi is a bit of an understatement, but there is no sense in crying over a failed summit. Recent reports of activity at the Sohae Launch Facility serve as a reminder of why President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un were engaging in diplomatic pageantry in the first place. North Korea’s illicit weapons programs pose a global and regional security threat. There is no way to reduce that threat other than through careful, technical, and likely tedious diplomacy.  

There are three things the United States should do to get the diplomatic process back on track.

First, Trump needs to accept a few things about Kim. He is not a friend, he is not a great leader, and he will not give up his nuclear weapons in return for partial sanctions relief and a beachside condo complex. To be clear, economic incentives will be a part of any successful deal, but the Kim regime will need security guarantees, as well. Those kinds of guarantees will require trust, and trust like that can only come through the successful implementation of incremental measures.  

Relatedly, the Trump Administration must abandon the idea of a grand bargain that deals with every threat. The North Korean nuclear program and its associated delivery systems present the greatest threat to international stability, so that is where our initial focus should lie. Even with a narrow focus, a step-by-step process is the only logical way ahead. By demonstrating good-faith implementation of small agreements, we can build to bigger ones.