The Definition of Success in Hanoi

Joseph DeTrani
Former Director of the National Counterproliferation Center

Expectations are high for the second summit of President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jung-Un.  Most people assume that there wouldn’t be a second summit if the principals weren’t confident that the summit would be a success.  So, how do we define a successful summit?

The first summit was historic, in that this was the first time a sitting president met with a leader from North Korea.  The symbolism was powerful, although the Joint Statement of June 12, 2018 was criticized for lacking detail. What the Statement did include, however, was:  A commitment that the U.S. would establish a new relationship with North Korea; that both countries would establish a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula; and North Korea would work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

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