Michael Haas

The Hanoi Summit between North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump did not advance the national security of any of the countries in East Asia, the United States, or the world. The puzzle is why two leaders would travel so far and leave emptyhanded. One theory is that there was insufficient time … Continue reading “Why the Hanoi Summit Failed”

There is a possibility of complete denuclearization of North Korea in the years to come. But Washington needs to handle diplomacy in a manner similar to steps taken toward normalization of relations with Vietnam. Those steps involved a Road Map involving graduated unilateral confidence building measures on both sides. When Step 1 was completed, the … Continue reading “Where Is the North Korean Road Map?”

The summit conference of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump achieved what few expected: Leaders of two former adversaries have built trust that can serve as the basis for a lasting peace and normalization of relations. At least ten lessons have been learned: Most important of all, Kim and Trump have achieved … Continue reading “Lessons From Singapore and the Need for a ‘Road Map’”

Negotiations between adversaries are difficult but can be overcome if the parties are sincere and employ unilateral reciprocated confidence-building measures, as is common in human interactions within Asia. Summits in Asia are quite different from contract-oriented Western summits. As Kim said, the purpose of the summit was to build “mutual trust with the United States,” … Continue reading “How the Summit With North Korea Can Succeed”

The United States is technically still at war with North Korea. No peace agreement has been signed despite repeated requests from Pyongyang for high-level negotiations. Former presidents Carter and Clinton and other high-level officials have gone to the North and achieved negotiation successes, but no sitting president had done so. Now Secretary of State Rex … Continue reading “Why the US Should Negotiate in Good Faith With North Korea”