Like a child who has not obeyed his parents, North Korea has violated international agreements it has entered into for many years. It has done so repeatedly. There is a clear track record of violations and bad behavior.
Many of these agreements relate to development of nuclear weapons. For example, in October of 2002, the Asian nation admitted to operating a secret nuclear weapons program. This program violated a 1994 agreement it made with the United States.
Consequently, previous presidents of the United States have thought it best not to reward bad behavior by many different nations. Similarly, many parents know this too — they don’t reward their children’s bad behavior.
Trump and North Korea
On receiving the invitation from a South Korean delegation, what did Trump do? Did he exercise smart strategy, like a wise parent would?
He did not. Trump rewarded years of North Korean bad behavior by agreeing to meet with Kim Jong Un.
Furthermore, did Trump propose sending a representative from the United States government to meet with one or more representatives from North Korea? This option was available to him.
No, he will give North Korea the big prize. He is going to meet with Kim Jong Un himself. For years, North Korean leaders have wanted to meet with an American president. Such a meeting would make North Korea appear on equal footing with the rest of the developed world. However, North Korea is not on this footing. Many nations have economically sanctioned North Korea for years, to punish the nation for its bad behavior.
In this case, Trump agreed to give Kim Jong Un what he and his predecessor and father Kim Jong Il have wanted for years. What did Trump ask for in return? Absolutely nothing.
In addition, Trump has said many times that he is a great negotiator. However, giving a negotiating partner exactly what they want — without asking for anything in return — is not a sign of a smart negotiator.
It is a sign of a horrible negotiator, who will likely lose at the bargaining table.