Pirate's Cove

Peace through strength? All the elitist pundits stated we would be looking at nuclear war if Trump continued to argue and bloviate at North Korea and lead Kim Jong-un (and it was pretty interesting watching Kim respond on Twitter). Now

(UK Guardian) North Korea has said it will end its tests of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and shut down its nuclear test site, in a dramatic development ahead of a much-anticipated meeting between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and Donald Trump.

The suspensions went into immediate effect on Saturday, according to state-run KCNA news agency.

The US president greeted the news in a tweet: “This is very good news for North Korea and the World – big progress!”

The news comes less than a week before Kim meets the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, for a summit in the demilitarised zone that divides the peninsula.

South Korea’s presidential office welcomed the announcement as “meaningful progress” towards denuclearisation. “It will create a very positive environment for the success of the upcoming inter-Korean and North-US summits,” said.

The move goes some way towards meeting US demands for denuclearisation, as Pyongyang and Washington work towards agreement on when and where Kim will meet Trump for historic talks that barely seemed possible just a few months ago.

Kim was taking credit, and declaring some victory himself, proclaiming that NK should now focus on its economy (doesn’t it have to have one first?) But, remember

Some analysts greeted the North’s move with caution, noting that the regime had reneged on previous nuclear deals and that Saturday’s announcement did not mention shorter-range ballistic missiles capable of striking Japan and South Korea.

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, cautiously welcomed North Korea’s pledge. “We welcome it as a forward-looking move … but an important thing is whether the move will lead to the complete abandonment of missile and nuclear developments in a verifiable and irreversible manner,” Abe said. “We want to watch it closely.”

So, the question will remain, is this real, or Kim playing games, as North Korean leaders have done for generations? What will Kim demand in exchange at the summit?

The North’s quest to develop a deterrent against what it has long described as US hostility resulted in an extraordinary exchange of insults between Kim and Trump last September, and frequent warnings from Washington that it would not rule out military action to end Kim’s nuclear ambitions.

Saturday’s announcement came the day after a hotline between Kim and the South Korean president went live. It connects Moon’s desk at the presidential Blue House with North Korea’s state affairs commission, which is headed by Kim, Yonhap news agency said.

One has to wonder if South Korean president Moon Jae-in and Trump played good cop-bad cop. What this whole does definitely go to show is that Trump isn’t just winging it, as Democrats and Trump haters like to think. There’s a plan. Consider how Pompeo made a secret trip to talk to Kim.

So, when does Trump get his Nobel Peace Prize?

Here's a thought I was pondering on a beautiful day in Palm Beach. @realDonaldTrump is clearly not appreciated by Euro elites. But if he achieves NoKo denuclearization, would they have a leg to stand on for not embracing him with the @NobelPrize for peace?

— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) April 19, 2018