The Center's experts have been mentioned in media outlets around the globe, weighing in on the expectations and possible outcomes of the historic meeting of President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“Get nukes and you are taken seriously and get to meet with the president of the United States,” said Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science and a member of the Security Studies Program. He added that the language in the document echoed statements made by North Korea 25 years ago in a similar joint declaration with the US and appears to contain little more than what the North has already promised in the past. He did note, however, that Kim’s first handshake with Trump shows his nuclear weapons have officially given him legitimacy on the world stage.
On US-Japan relations, Richard Samuels, director of the Center, said: “He (Trump) has given every reason for Tokyo to fear that Washington will compromise their security by cutting a deal that doesn't include short range missiles and that effectively acknowledges the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state. Abe has few cards to play to forestall that.”
Jim Walsh, research associate with the Security Studies Program, believes that with nuclear proliferation, politics is king. “When it comes to nuclear weapons ... the engineering is harder than the science. The program management is harder than the engineering, and the politics is harder than the program management. The states that succeed at nuclear weapons are states that make [the program] a political priority.” And he thinks the same is true for stopping the development and spread of nuclear weapons.
The New York Times “North Korea Is a Nuclear Power. Get Used to It.” (June 12) (Narang)
CNN “What just happened? Experts break it down” (June 12) (Narang)
NBC News “Trump and Kim nuclear summit agreement contains no new promises” (June 12) (Narang)
WBUR Here & Now “Trump-Kim Summit: A Closer Look At What Came Out Of The Historic Meeting” (June 12) (Walsh)
Huff Post “Trump Says North Korea Summit Agreement Is Far More ‘Comprehensive’ Than It Actually Is” (June 12) (Narang)
WGBH “Trump Says North Korea Will Destroy Missile Site. But Which One?” (June 12) (Narang)
France 24 “Trump-Kim summit the art of the deal? No, say experts” (June 12) (Narang)
Texas Public Radio “Trump Says North Korea Will Destroy Missile Site. But Which One?” (June 12) (Narang)
Vox “Trump and Kim Jong Un just struck a deal. Here’s what it means and what comes next.” (June 12) (Narang)
Huff Post “Trump And Kim Sign Joint Agreement As Historic Singapore Summit Closes” (June 12) (Narang)
Agence-France Presse “We've heard this before: analysts on N. Korea-US statement” (June 12) (Narang)
WBUR “Singapore Summit Preview” (June 11) (Narang)
CGTN “China pursues dialogue on Korean Peninsula” (June 11) (Walsh)
The Independent “Trump-Kim meeting: Will the North Korean leader still have his finger on the ‘nuclear button’?” (June 11) (Narang)
The Atlantic “This Is Bigger Than a Meeting With Kim Jong Un” (June 11) (Walsh)
AirTalk “What to expect from President Trump’s first meeting with Kim Jong Un” (June 11) (Walsh)
Xinhua “News Analysis: Despite good faith on Singapore meeting, discord remains between U.S., Japan” (June 8) (Samuels)