Hmmm, tinpot hellhole N. Korea got an American President to genuflect AGAIN at his feet and meet with him, and STILL N Korea is not giving up its nukes. Maybe Trump should read the book he supposedly wrote, "The Art of the Deal", because this is the second time he has walked away with NOTHING but making Kim Jong Un look like an equal. N Korea STILL has nukes, folks! And Donald STILL can buy his Nobel Prize.

Say what you will about the past administrations, but they knew that bending to Kim was just making the clown Kim look more presidential. Trump doesn't get it, he riles up Kim (as in calling him "Rocket Man"), but in TWO meetings fails to make the dictator give up his nukes and missiles. Heck, according to our own delegation, N Korea is still ADDING to their nuke program. Great job Orange One!! Give Kim another chubby over "fooling the Great Satan America again"

Hey, on the bright side, Trump finally made it to Vietnam, after being too scared and priveleged in the 60s. Let me guess, he is trying to get a Trump Hotel into Hanoi, and needed an excuse to go there.

Hmmm, wonder if the folks in Guam, Hawaii, or on the West Coast of the US feel safer tonight, knowing that Trump FAILED AGAIN to de-nuke N Korea?

Trump is a farce.

I do wonder how easy it would be for intelligent dictators to read and manipulate Trump and his ego?

That part of his personality does worry me for someone in that office, to be narcissistic, arrogant, and not well educated (not to be confused with having money to attend fancy schools), or having had any life experiences with or ability to understand relate to anyone or anything outside of the elite circle . I do not feel that particular combination of traits provides a strong foundation with which to deal with world leaders, economies, or politics.

But 20 months to countdown, maybe something will improve.

I thought Trump was a consumate deal maker ("The Art Of The Deal", & all that...)..

Evidently not.....

Interesting and here I was thinking Mingle had many moderates like Pelosi who agree with Trump on the way forward, slowly and cautiously, since an agreement would eventually re-unify the North and South.

Your viewpoint is well shared sir ! Thank you for uttering my exact sentiments

For those of you who claim Trump failed, you must have some better ideas! What are those great ideas? When should we start firing missiles into North Korea? Maybe we should send troops in to kill Kim? Let's hear all those great insights into this problem!!!!!!

I dont think thats what anybody is saying sir . But he should be listening to his own intel on how to negotiate this sensitive situation . And so far he has failed to do so !

He's doing the same thing Reagan did with Gorbachev. Clinton tried to buy them off and it didn't work. Obama couldn't even talk to Kim Jong Un. In 66 years, it took Trump to get somewhere somewhere with the Nokos.

So, how would you handle it?

Today's headlines in the Wall St. Journal :

CIA Korea Expert Who Spurred Talks Sees Hope in Summit

Oh honey...

One can disagree with something without having a "better way" of doing it..
Most people can see when something is a bad idea/ didn't work....

Knowing Mingle members can be extraordinarily generous when appealed to with such sincerity and love, I too would have moved on and allowed this thread to lapse.

But since millions of lives are 'technically' still under threat, I am compelled to set the record straight. This because, the American public is not getting the Eastern (or Indian) side of events.

Background I've to return to the famous meeting between General MacArthur and President Truman where the General insisted on pushing beyond the 38th parallel. What you may not be aware is that the Indian Government relayed / cautioned and warned (Mao did not have diplomatic relations with US then) about Chinese involvement if the Americans pushed further. This info was brushed aside and we know all about Korea's split up.

Domino Effect What we in India see as the domino effect from McArthur’s misadventure. The Chinese view changed. The Americans were now on the defensive, their forces cordoned off to S Korea in the East.

This left Tibet on the West open; and India in the South. India had just gained independence and in the fifties we still had equipment from WWII. Moreover we were have a socialist government with what we call the Gandhi effect - a policy of peace and non-involvement in the cold war.

When they took over Tibet, the Chinese also gained the altitude to position missile launches. They also had an easy run across India's eastern border (then Mao seemed to have changed his mind because they returned back).

Ping Pong Diplomacy So when Nixon (who unlike Kennedy, was against India; the Cold War era) sent Kissinger to China, we Indian’s heaved in relief. At least the Chinese (we hoped) would now be responsible as a global player.

Part II - Was N Korea, a cat's paw?
While modern China under President Xi appears to be more responsible (world trade surplus) we suspected that they were using N Korea as their cat’s paw. N.K. was open source for nuclear blueprints. In fact, Pakistan’s military leaders had planned visiting NK; but dropped it after Trump declared the sanctions.

So we appreciated Trump's daughter visiting Seoul for winter games
and we looked forward to Trump's & Kim's meet in Singapore (last May)
We were stunned when a top gun in Trump’s cabinet warned Kim that he would meet the fate of Libya’s Gadafi.

Now this recent Cohen enquiry, the timing is not it a sabotage?

What we don’t understand is how when the CnC of USA is on a sensitive mission, negotiations with the enemy; the fate of millions - is it not treason? The problem is the World has seen this display - and the consequence is if it happens in US, it's okay all over. From now on wards, any war by responsible governments would be labelled as 'for election reasons'.

Iran next We are in a hurry because after N. K we anticipated Iran would be brought to the table and Iran has been important to India for strategic reasons.

We know that with this deal now set in motion, it will come through either by Trump or by the next administration. Whether the manner in which Trump is pushing it through (as if it were another Hollywood version of hostage negotiations) or whether he carries the entire US Congress step-by-step - is an internal matter of the US. As I said, it does not concern people like me whether Trump closes this deal or a Democrat; we are interested in defusing tensions so close to India.

So do I think negotiations have failed? I think it is under process. I hope it works out because in India we still feel the chill of the Cold War.
Thanks for reading.

As far as Gorby and Reagan, you might want to look back at the Iceland talks, and how and why they failed.

As far as "Clinton buying them off", state which Clinton you refer to and what you mean. If you are talking about a diplomatic solution, well, our Dear Leader has not a diplomatic thought in his egotist peabrain.

And it is funny how there are different approaches from our current administration regarding one Socialist regime (Venezuela) and another Socialist regime (North Korea). Trump is trying to "buy" democracy in Venezuela by shipping aid and supporting a candidate... In the meantime, we know that the average NKorean is starving as much as the Venezuelans.

Why hasn't Trump picked Kim's successor, and bought him or her (oops, I forgot, Trump would never back a woman, he is scared of and obsessed with the women he can't molest: Hillary, Sen Warren, etc) into office with boatloads of food? Cmon Cheeto, load up a bunch of Big Macs and TacoBell and buy your way into the North Koreans' hearts?

It is quite simple: Venezuela was already evolving (just as the Philippines evolved away from Marcos, and yes, how Iran evolved from the crooked Shah in the 70's. Evolution goes both ways), and Trump is just jumping on the bandwagon. Kim is nothing but a tinpot that Trump is trying to taunt into being another "emergency", so Trump can go in and buy his cooperation, get a lucrative business deal out of, and in the process try to buy his Nobel prize. (The Small One still has severe Obama envy, that is why he can't stop bringing Obama up every time he needs to deflect... Obama and Hillary both own mansions in the Orange One's head)

Trump is not allowing anyone outside of his inner circle (Pompeo, his daughter) in on the Kim negotiations because he is making BUSINESS deals with Kim in the name of our national security... If Trump can negotiate being a big player when NKorea rejoins the rest of the world, he can double his fortune when the N Korea economy booms.

It is easy to figure Trump out when you simply follow the MONEY. No matter what: Russia? Hotels, loans, money from Putin for influence, hacking. Vietnam? A growing economy, I would not doubt that he was there to negotiate private business deals. Mike Cohen? That was one of his checkbook guys (Stormy payout,etc) The Wall? I am sure he has invested in construction firms, concrete, and the Chinese steel companies he will exempt from tariffs when the wall is built. Weekends at Mar-a-Gaudy? All those staffers and secret service folks have to eat and sleep somewhere close by, what a great way to sell out a hotel and restaurant than to bring a "convention" in every weekend (do you think Trump Hotels give the government a discount?) Heck, ask John Legere of TMobile where he has to stay each time he is brought to DC to testify in front of yet another committee regarding the merger?