How coy. The news came the day after our president and negotiator-in-chief, Donald J. Trump, had announced that negotiations with North Korea were off. But suddenly they appear to be on again.
Indeed, it's possible those talks may convene on the same date--June 12 of this year--as they were originally supposed to start and in the same city, Singapore. Blink your eyes and you might have missed the whole mock drama. The only thing sure at this blurry point is, to quote Mr. Trump, "we'll see what happens." Or what won't. But the thrill is definitely gone, along with the suspense. There's no telling how many times this act will be repeated; it's already become a crashing bore.
What the heck is going on here? The short answer is that the players in this diplomatic game aren't always what their formal names would imply. For the United States of America hasn't always been united, and the Democratic Republic of Korea is none of the above. Bewitched, bothered and bewildered by all these goings-on? If not, just be patient, you surely will be. It's enough to make cynics of us all. Or as President Trump told a reporter, "Everybody plays games. You know that."
As for those caught in the crosshairs of this diplomatic duel, like the South Koreans, they're reduced to bystanders waiting to see--like the rest of us--how things will turn out. But at one ever changeable moment, they were expressing cautious relief that the on-again, off-again talks were on, at least for the moment.
A spokesman for South Korea's president sounded optimistic the other day: "We see it as fortunate," he announced, "that the embers of dialogue between North Korea and the United States weren't fully extinguished and are coming alive again. We are carefully watching the developments."
But as long as this cold war doesn't become hot, there is reason not only for ennui but gratitude.
One Korean War was more than enough, thank you.
Editorial on 05/30/2018