What Is The Deal With The Trump/Kim Summit in Singapore?

History was made on June 12, 2018, as the leaders of the United States and North Korea met face to face at the 2018 North Korea–United States summit. The summit was hosted in Singapore. Overall, this summit was positive! Keep reading below to learn more about the meeting that is sure to make it into history textbooks of the future.

The 5 hour summit did not lead to any permanent changes. It was expected that it would take more time than that to reach permanent results. Every decision reached could easily be resorted back to the way it was before the summit, such as the decision regarding the denuclearization of North Korea. However, this summit is a sign of progress even if society will not know the true outcome for years to come. As CNN states, “


Whether nuclear disarmament


is indeed the final outcome of Tuesday’s summit won’t be known for years, if not decades. But the dramatic act of extending his hand to one of America’s longtime adversaries will forever illustrate Trump’s gut-driven, norm-shattering tenure.”

The most important thing is that the United States and North Korea are now on


speaking terms


. It’s a good sign that the leaders of these countries are now able to communicate, as war had previously been threatened. Republican politician Lindsey Graham previously stated in an interview with


The Atlantic


that she predicts “there’s a three in 10 chance we use the military option.” This is much more positive than a possible war. Also, before meeting Trump at the summit, Kim Jong Un released American hostages, which likely led to the more peaceful nature of the summit.

According to


The Washington Post


, Trump had some very interesting comments on the situation:

“‘We’re ready to write a new chapter between our nations,’ Trump said at a news conference, calling his meeting with Kim ‘honest, direct and productive… the past does not have to define the future,’ he added. ‘Yesterday’s conflict does not have to be tomorrow’s war. As history has proved over and over, adversaries can become friends.’”

Calling the two “friends” may be pushing it, but this does give hope to future conflicts.

According to


BBC


, the political climate is positive because of the relationship formed. It is always a good thing for Washington to have as many positive international relationships as possible, usually with countries that align with our values. Even though North Korea does not share many values with America, it is a good sign that they, and we, are branching out despite the harsh political climate surrounding the two countries. This summit shows that Kim Jong Un is taking an interest in Western culture, which may be a good sign moving forward in debates, although it is still unclear what his real intentions are.

Do you think the summit had a positive outcome? Let us know in the comments.