Maybe we should call it McDonald’s Diplomacy. The latest analysis by the CIA of North Korea’s overtures to the United States said Kim Jong Un will not ever get rid of his nuclear weapons but instead will offer to open a hamburger franchise in North Korea as a sign of goodwill.
On Tuesday three U.S. officials told NBC News that there is a new U.S. intelligence assessment which has concluded that North Korea does not intend to give up its nuclear weapons any time soon, if ever.
This confidential report from U.S. intelligence experts contradicts President Donald Trump’s recent assertions that because of him the North Korean government in Pyongyang intends to disband its nuclear arsenal in the near future.
Trump is continuing his pursuit of a nuclear deal with North Korea and is still negotiating details so that the planned June 12 summit with the North Korean leader will still take place.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
It appears this summit is just for show, since the CIA analysis means that Trump’s stated goal for the negotiations, the elimination of North Korea’s nuclear weapons stockpile, is not viable. Many other experts, including people within Trump’s own administration, agree with the CIA assessment.
“Everybody knows they are not going to denuclearize,” said one intelligence official who read the report.
The report contained a list of potential concessions that North Korea might make instead of disbanding its weapons. The CIA apparently thinks that Kim Jong Un is considering allowing a Western hamburger franchise to open in Pyongyang. He apparently thinks that Americans will be happy with this goodwill gesture as a replacement for denuclearization of North Korea.
If this is true it means that if the summit in Singapore happens Donald Trump may come home with the big announcement that North Korea will keep their nukes but he has negotiated for a McDonald’s franchise to be allowed to do business in the communist country for the first time. If that happens you can bet that Trump will want a piece of the action, and may even demand that the name of the restaurant be named after him.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
