Will the US Negotiate With North Korea?

A recent report has stated that Secretary of State Tillerson is willing to negotiate with North Korea without any preconditions. This is good news, if the president is willing to allow Tillerson to do this. The main concern is that President Trump has contradicted statements that have been made by Tillerson in the past; these contradictions have often come after Tillerson has made a statement on an issue.

In his statement, Tillerson stated that President Trump is in agreement with him that it is unrealistic to expect North Korea to agree to give up its nuclear program in order for talks begin. He cited the fact that North Korea has a lot invested in its program and this will likely be a non-starter. Immediately after he made this statement, the press secretary told the White House press pool that the president has not changed his mind on the situation. Once again, it appears that Tillerson's diplomatic efforts have been undercut by his boss. However, given that this administration has not been able to outline clear policy goals on any issue, it could be the press secretary is the one who is misinformed; she even alluded to such concerns in her statement. Dialog will be difficult to begin if it is impossible to give a clear answer as to whether or not the US is willing to engage in it. If President Trump seeks to avoid a conflict with North Korea, then such dialog is essential to lower tensions in the region; in order for this to occur, he must let Tillerson do his job. If the president continues to contradict his chief diplomat in public, not only will he be unable to bring North Korea to the negotiating table, but he will not be able to adequately represent the US position on this issue to the rest of the world.

In conclusion, if the president is serious about reaching a non-military solution to this problem, he must allow his State Department to do its job and refrain from contradiction. If he does not feel that Tillerson is adequately representing his views on this or other issues, he must move to replace him. Coherence on this issue is essential. The stakes in the region are too high to allow messaging errors to thwart the potential to reach a diplomatic solution.