US "looks like" Acting in Bad Faith

(source jtbc) President Moon Jae In is reported to be on his way to Bektusan to do some hiking.


From The Guardian today:

“But if one thing is clear, it’s that North Korea continues to outmanoeuvre the United States through its willingness to take initiatives that shape the global public narrative and force Washington to choose between engaging on Pyongyang’s terms or looking like it is acting in bad faith.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/19/north-korea-shut-missile-test-summit-kim-jong-un-moon

The US approach is essentially coercive or negative. Four out of five principal states involved in the region don't agree with the US approach. So it isn't just a question of being outmaneuvered, the playing field has changed.

A new approach is required, the coercive approach isn't going to work. https://www.38north.org/2018/09/wmckinney091718/

It's been the same negotiating problem all along, the inability of the US to come around to the step by step approach to changing the strategic relationships in the region, or the current style of one sided demands accompanied by vague promises of future rewards. The US approach is an attempt to counter historical trends in the two Koreas and unlikely to be successful unless it changes.

To gain any insight into North Korean issues, 38north.org is a better source than these articles in the British and US mainstream press. A variety of views are presented.