The Donald Trump Negotiations Academy
FTA:
Reporters in Singapore were shocked when Trump informed them Tuesday afternoon that he and Kim were about to sign an “agreement.” But sure enough, shortly thereafter, they were shepherded into a grand hall for a formal signing ceremony.
A quick look at the “agreement” showed that there was really nothing there beyond platitudes.
Trump’s many critics were quick to take him to task for his “deal” because it was purely aspirational.
But they missed the point. The point wasn’t to reach a serious agreement. The point was to sign a piece of paper that said “Agreement” on it.
By signing the piece of paper, Trump took all time pressure off of himself and his team. They have their deal. He signed it. In a ceremony with a fancy fountain pen. They have all the time they need now to do what it takes to get Kim to cough up all of his nukes.
On the other hand, time is working against Kim.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that the economic sanctions on North Korea will remain in place until after North Korea has denuclearized in a verifiable manner. In other words, assuming Kim cares about his economy and is in this for the money, Kim will want to reach a deal and implement it as quickly as possible.
And they’ve already started repatriating remains.
That’s because Americans and westerners like Caroline in general don’t know how to negotiate with Asians. You have to build a relationship. He’s doing a fantastic job.