by Pepe Escobar (cross-posted with the Asia Times by special agreement with the author)
By reaffirming the Panmunjom Declaration, the US President has committed to bringing its military back from South Korea and thus a complete denuclearization of the South as well as the North
The Trump-Kim geopolitical reality-TV show – surreal for some – offered unparalleled entries to the annals of international diplomacy. It will be tough to upstage the US President pulling an iPad and showing Kim Jong-un the cheesy trailer of a straight-to-video 1980s B-grade action movie – complete with a Sylvester Stallone cameo – casting the two leaders as heroes destined to save the world’s 7 billion people.
Away from the TV, the former “Rocket Man”, now respectfully recast in Trump terminology as “Chairman Kim”, did strike a formidable coup by completely erasing the dreaded acronym CVID – or “complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization” – from the final text of the Singapore joint statement.
Throughout the pre-summit negotiations, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) had always stressed an “action-for-action” strategy leading to denuclearization, as in Pyongyang being compensated every step of the way instead of waiting until after complete denuclearization – a process that could last over a decade – to be eligible for economic benefits.
The Singapore joint statement enshrines exactly what the Russia-China strategic partnership – formalized in the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit – was suggesting from the beginning: a double freeze.
The DPRK holds off on any new nuclear and missile tests while the US and South Korea stop the “war games” (Trump’s terminology).
This logical sequence of the Sino-Russian roadmap is based on what South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed with Kim Jong-un at the inter-Korean summit last April. And that ties in with what North Korea, South Korea and Russia had already discussed at the Far East summit in Vladivostok last September, as Asia Times reported; economic integration between Russia and the two Koreas, including the crucial connectivity of a future Trans-Korean railway with the Trans-Siberian.
Once again, this is all about Eurasia integration; increased trade between North Korea and Northeast China, concerning mostly Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces; and total, physical connectivity of both Koreas to the Eurasian heartland.
That’s yet another instance of the New Silk Roads, or Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) meeting the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU). And not by accident South Korea wants to connect deeper with both BRI and the EAEU.
When in doubt, re-read Panmunjom
The Singapore joint statement is not a deal; it’s a statement. The absolutely key item is number 3: “Reaffirming the April 27, 2018, Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
This means that the US and North Korea will work towards denuclearization not only in what concerns the DPRK but the whole Korean Peninsula.
Much more than “…the DPRK commits to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”, the keywords are in fact “reaffirming the April 27, 2018, Panmunjom Declaration…”
Even before Singapore, everyone knew the DPRK would not “de-nuke” (Trump terminology) for nothing, especially when promised just some vague US “guarantees”.
Predictably, both US neocon and humanitarian imperialist factions are unanimous in their fury, blasting the absence of “meat” in the joint statement. In fact there’s plenty of meat. Singapore reaffirms the Panmunjom Declaration, which is a deal between North Korea and South Korea.
By signing the Singapore joint statement, Washington has been put on notice of the Panmunjom Declaration. In law, when you take notice of a fact, you can’t ignore it later. The DPRK’s commitment to denuclearize in the Singapore statement is a reaffirmation of its commitment to denuclearize in the Panmunjom Declaration, with all of the conditions attached to it. And Trump acknowledged that by signing the Singapore statement.
The Panmunjom Declaration stresses that: “South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. South and North Korea shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities in this regard. South and North Korea agreed to actively seek the support and cooperation of the international community for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
That’s the commitment. “International community”, as everyone knows, is code for the US as The Great Decider. If Washington does not bring back its military from South Korea, there will be no denuclearization. Essentially, that’s the deal discussed between Kim and President Xi Jinping in their two crucial, pre-Singapore meetings. Get the US out of the peninsula, and we have your back.
So all focus should be on “reaffirming”, the key word in the Singapore joint statement.
The agreement proves that the Trump ‘Peace through Strength, Doctrine works much better than the Obama ‘Apologize and Appease’ weak America Doctrine. The Nobel Peace Prize for Trump and Kim looks like a pretty sound bet. Obama got his for far less.
The first contact document is light on details so presumably the next steps will be more detailed work in the following areas.
-1- Verifiable end to the NK nuke & ballistic missile programs
-2- Verifiable end to nuclear and missile technology sales to high risk nations
-3- Verifiable mutual draw down of conventional forces NK, SK, and U.S.
-4- Improving living standards for the people of NK
Keeping the Globalists out as they try to push Bayer/Monsanto agribusiness on behalf of Merkel, Macron, and Soros will be among the largest risks to #4.
“Obama got his [Peace Prize] for far less.” That’s an understatement: Obama kept the USA at war *every day* of his Presidency.
I hope that before the “peace prize” is given to Mr. Trump that there will be No War against (as just one example) Iran. Let’s wait and see if Trump’s war against America’s working class ends also.
A “nuclear free” Korean peninsula sounds like a grand idea—-along with a nuclear free Middle East. Could Israel possibly stand such developments? Think of this: the antichrist master race, minus its nukes!
Hannity:
“Trump-Kim Summit as Historic as Reagan-Gorbachev in Reykjavik””
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/06/11/sean-hannity-monologue-trump-kim-singapore-summit-reagan-and-gorbachev-reykjavik
Nobel Peace Prize for Trump and Kim?
Geez.
“…The agreement proves that the Trump ‘Peace through Strength, Doctrine works…”
No.
It sounds like something straight out of the novel “1984“.
You should look at the movie version of “Animal Farm“, that’s where we are, with all those exceptions….
I find it ironic, who is the equivalent to the pigs, in our real time world, one exception after another…
Just like Bolshevik Soviet….
The pigs are out of control.
The thing I like about Pepe’s journalism is that it helps us to see that in reality (admittedly a deliberately obscured reality) the empire is to all real intents and purposes irrelevant and quite meaningless. Its only real hold is upon those of us who are bound within the mass “mind” and its narrative of mental domination.
What a waste of time.
The one ‘guarantee’ that comes with signing an agreement with the US, is that the US will break it. Then claim that it was the other guy who caused them to ‘have to break’ the deal.
Kim, keep your nukes. They are all that stands between you and a bayonet where the sun don’t shine. Ask Gaddafi. Oh, wait, he gave up his WMD programs and is now dead.
Well, maybe ask Saddam Hussein about US guarantees of peace for disarmament. Ooops, dead too.
I could go on, all the way back to the native Americans.
Trust the US government……… Yeah, right.
Indeed. I have to snigger at all the flunkies and propagandees frothing at the mouth over “denuclearising” the Korean peninsula… how come no one ever mentions denuclearising the US of A (or that other place)?
Is Kim, heartless and incompetent dictator that he is, silly enough to give up his only protection, knowing that the bad guys can drop hundreds of ICBMs on him any time they like?
Panmunjom doesn’t say anything about “getting the US out of the [Korean] peninsula.” It mentions only “denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula. The US will claim that there are no nukes in South Korea, which is probably correct. Therefore, the US will say that it doesn’t have to do anything. I’m not sure the South even wants the US to leave.
This would relate to ship visits. New Zealand is nuke free, which prevents US vessels from entering our waters unless they are declared to be free of nukes. This is a big deal and would exclude all US subs and carriers from Korean waters.
One can only hope that the DPRK and its leadership are fully aware of how business is usually conducted by USA Incorporated. As with most US corporations, any “agreement” entered into by the US government is subject to the same provisions for completely unilateral revision or abrogation as those included in most other contractual undertakings of that country’s judicially awarded corporate personhood.
Bravo Pepe! You cut through all the theatrics to the meaty reality of this historic move. Who would have thought Trump could pull this off in spite of the powerful opposition to any kind of deal? Let’s give thanks for this substantial half a loaf, and hope for more down the road. However the warmongers may deride it, this is a much needed breath of fresh air for a world suffocating with tension.
What’s stopping Washington from breaking these agreements, like with Iran?Problems can only be solved through diplomacy when all the involved parties genuinely wish to solve it, I don’t think that’s the case with Americans.
I am repeatedly amazed by the clarity that Pepe brings to the subject matter he puts under his scalpel and informs of the hidden depths to us who only see the surface. Thank you and bless you.
The part where Mr. Escobar says “China has their back” is the answer to your question. Actually, its both China and Russia that has North Korea’s back. Before Kim Jong-Um went to Singapore, he went to Beijing, twice, and FM Lavrov went to North Korea.
China and Russia should go to the UNSC and get the UNSC sanctions removed as soon as possible while the Americans won’t use their veto. Then, if the Americans do break the deal and try to restore sanctions, which is highly likely, then the Chinese and Russians can veto any new attempts to pass sanctions in the UNSC and otherwise ignore the Americans like they are doing now with Iran.
God bless Trump and Putin….
When the (often justified) paranoia in the world reaches a really high level, it becomes almost impossible to feel any hope or positive quality in anything, even things that may be quite benign. This is a dangerous point at which trust dissolves totally and any kind of deal becomes impossible. We must work against this dead end state that our world is approaching.
“To venture is to risk defeat, but not to venture is to lose one’s soul.” ~ Kierkegaard
As American I am happy because USA is back on the scene as the worlds peacemaker. Trump did the trick and forced everybody out from a position of strength into peace whether they wanted it or not.
As we say in America “speak softly and carry a big stick, and always have a plan in your pocket on how you the kill the guy in front of you”…………………….LOL.
Japan, Hawaii and South Korea can thank our President that they dont have to live their lives in fear anymore.
Tomsen,
We are still in the early days of the ‘Peace though Strength’ Doctrine. Nothing is official or binding until there is a Treaty that is Ratified by the U.S. Senate. Life is clearly better today than yesterday, but it’s far from a done deal.
May I respectfully suggest a lesson from one of the prior administration’s many failures — Do Not Over-Promise “.
Barak Hussein Obama never obtained Senate ratification of his JOKE-PA Treaty. In fact, he knew the Iranian JOKE-PA deal was so bad, he never submitted it for a vote and 100% certain defeat. As, Barak Hussein never obtained Ratification, of his JOKE-PA Treaty it is not now – and never was – binding on any subsequent U.S. Administration.
Barak Hussein Obama’s over-promise on JOKE-PA a non-binding, non-ratified, non-treaty made the world more unstable and less safe.
Is that the line Washington is feeding it’s domestic audience?Because nobody outside of USA would understand what you’re going on about.Japan,Hawaii and South Korea live in fear of American aggression not North Korea.
The zio-scum are very busy today.
Classified Israeli Report Hints Trump-Kim Summit a Glorified Photo Op
https://sputniknews.com/world/201806141065421898-Classified-Israeli-Report-hints-Trump-Kim-Summit-Glorified-Photo-Op/
The article is israeli propaganda and exhibits that Sputnik continues to have a very serious zionazi-gay infestation problem. The “leak” is an obvious and ubiquitous israeli attempt at psywar, the crap they do all the time. It is propaganda and Sputnik should be debunking this zionazi-gay nonsense rather than giving it unchallenged free play.
vt,
NK is one of the most unfriendliest states as far as Israel’s concerned, maybe in the same league as Iran. Trump meeting Kim is like Trump having a personal tete-a-tete with Rouhani in the view of God’s Chosen. They’ve been trading barbs for years, the latest being the Zionist entity’s accusation, so far unproven, that NK has been providing nuclear technology and know-how to Iran. That really riled NK. The squatter state won’t say how it’s done so I’m left to wonder that maybe NK and Iran have devised an ingenious way of passing nuclear blueprints between them — perhaps the materials were smuggled amongst the shipments of coal or kimchi from NK and dates from Iran ;)
So yeah, Israel has no interest in seeing NK being ‘rehabilitated’ and making new friends, and it won’t surprise me if more Zios come out of the woodwork to run down, or put in the worst possible light, the Trump-Kim get together, even if no deal was made. The document quoted in the Sputnik article was supposedly a classified Israeli FM document. I wonder how it got leaked :)
basil
I do not like Sputnik.
Thanks for clarifying why.
The Singapore joint statement is not a deal; it’s a statement.
Absolutely. Just a statement and, really, one should not expect more than that from this meeting. I don’t know why people are reading too much into it.
Nonetheless it’s good that at least contact has been made between Trump and Kim face to face. The hosts, Singapore, suggested an appropriately name place for the occasion. The word ‘Sentosa’ from the venue, Sentosa Island, means calm, tranquil, peaceful, in the Malay language. A bit of diplomatic feng shui and a fervent wish that it would be a harbinger of things to come, perhaps?
By signing the Singapore joint statement, Washington has been put on notice of the Panmunjom Declaration. In law, when you take notice of a fact, you can’t ignore it later.
Like many, I’m pessimistic of the present-day US’s ability to keep its word. But one can hope and let’s hope this first small but significant step leads to something better.
basil
The problem with all this espousing of who is going to do what, with which and to whom, is the seemingly large numbers of functionaries in various entities of the US Government in essence running their mouths in public. Pence weighed in before the meeting as to what Kim was to offer during the meeting, Bolton outright stated that NK had to turn over all nuclear weapons to US before any agreement could be arranged, and Mattis growled as to what deal would be made and intimated that if he didn’t agree with the final statement of the meeting it was no deal.
Last time I looked, the President, Mr. Trump, sets foreign policy and his minions, including Pence, Bolton, Mattis, FBI, CIA, DoD, DoS, DoTC et al, followed his instructions. The aforementioned could, and should, advise the President before and during the meetings but once the ‘mission statement’ was made after the meeting, it is their task to implement what the President decides.
With the unspeakable turmoil extant in the US Government, not the least of which is the ongoing ‘Russian meddling’ investigation and the looming investigation in to FBI, and quite probably CIA and HDR, actions before, during and after the election, it’s a wonder anything can get done as most government agencies are in deep CYA mode as their crimes and political leanings become more and more under the spotlight.
Me, I’m sitting back with a big bowl of popcorn and in addition to watching this farce I’m waiting for the appearance of Russian Doping accusations to explain Russia’s victory over Saudi Arabia last eventide in the football silliness.
Auslander
Author
Never The Last One https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGCY8KK A Deep Look In To Russia, Her Culture And Her Armed Forces
An Incident On Simonka https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ERKH3IU NATO Is Invited To Leave Sevastopol, One Way Or The Other.
so…kim under china/russia prodding agrees to “work”…towards getting rid of his nuclear weapons once the usa removes its troops….takes off sanctions…etc…a deal shared with the south….sounds fine.
lets hope who ever becomes president after trump is removed/impeached/taken out in a straight jacket…understands all of this.
The Democrats with their party platform of “We want nuclear war and we want it now!” are already crying over this.
And in general, in modern American dysfunctional politics, when the party in power changes they automatically hate everything that the previous party had done. We’ve seen this with Trump following Obama. We saw this with the Obama crowd following Bush, we saw this with Bush following Clinton. One reason the Bush crowd didn’t listen to the warnings about the coming terror attack was that the whole “OBL and Al Qaeda is a threat policy” was a Clinton thing so the Dubya crowd was not going to do the same.
With the current levels of insane hatred towards anything related to Trump in the Democrats right now, its a sure bet that they’ll be keen to reverse anything Trump has done. Remember, they are the party running a bunch of ex-CIA officers for Congress right now.