"A new history starts now" - Kim Jong-un crosses the DMZ - Polidicks

Nixon got us into China.

There's also reason to think that Trump's childish brinkmanship may actually be an effective counter to North Korea. Kim's normal game of 'threaten something outrageous, talk it over diplomatically, settle for less' isn't a viable strategy if he's worried that being too brazen might actually provoke the US into direct intervention. Trump is basically repeating Nixon's Madman Theory, just without the part where it's an act.

When even here in our own country the populous has been worrying Trump might actually start a war, possibly nuclear, with North Korea, then yeah that's probably a terrifying thing to virtually every country. And sometimes the best strategy isn't diplomacy but viciousness. North Korea never has cared about diplomacy, its never been a goal for them. They just want to have their kingdom and the rest doesn't matter, even the people they rule over. In the past the US has always shown a care about minimizing cost, casualties south of the parallel, civilian casualties north of it, war with China, public perception at home. That has given North Korea leverage and power because they can hurt these things and make for an unpleasant time here in the US. But if suddenly the US stops caring about any of that, if the US sees any cost affordable for wiping out the North Korean regime, North Korea loses all of its power. "We'll let South Korea burn, we'll kill every living person in North Korea, we'll fight China, we'll take a nuke, we'll bury ourselves in debt, all just to get rid of you." If it seems like that threat isn't grandstanding but legitimate, then you, as North Korea, have a choice to make: Hope the US is bluffing without reason to believe so, or bend over and take the nicest exit the US is willing to give.

if it's stupid and it works it ain't stupid!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ8jGqdE2iw Mmmm. I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that one. Some things are stupid regardless of whether they work.

To be fair though, he actually knew how to politics even if he was batshit insane.

This is the same logic triumphalist historians use to justify the perspective that the US won the Cold War because of President Reagan, completely neglecting the fact that had it not been for the reforms and change in foreign policy under Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union might still exist in some way or another. The only possible credit you could attribute to Trump is that by acting like a lunatic that might pre-emptively start a war that would kill millions in nuclear hellfire, he intimidated Kim Jong Un into action. Which we don't know for sure. We won't even know that for sure if the North Koreans go through with their word on making concessions and denuclearizing the peninsula. Its possible Kim Jong Un might be acting in the interests of increasing his own prestige as a world leader, or thinking along the lines of making promises now that he can abandon later, with the intention of blaming the US or South Korea for non-cooperation if talks collapse.

wow this is the best timeline

Whichever one a destitute regime would rather leave buried.

Believe you me, Trump had nothing to do with North Korea's capitulation. They simply became a liability for China because of their increased dick-waving, and China put the screws to them in a big way.

like others are saying, we can PROBABLY give him a little credit, if only for joining in on the pointless pissing contest and getting a bigger rise out of NK until they got some stern talking to from China

If the foreign minister says Trump deserves some credit that seems reasonable. Nixon created the EPA and Bush expanded Medicare for seniors. Terrible presidents can do good things every once in awhile.

https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/554/46d2237d-b67f-4048-9df8-59def9f527d5/koreas.PNG

I think it's crazy that within a period of six months we have gone from seeing a NK soldier defect into SK to the Dictator stepping across the DMZ into South Korea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w9DQxrL03U I hope we can have more progress like this happen!

Nixon's only real major legislative accomplishment that left a long-term scar on the country was the war on drugs, as he saw it as a proxy method of dealing with his two least-favourite political factions, blacks and hippies. If Nixon hadn't been ridiculously paranoid, it's likely that both the war on drugs and the Watergate affair would've never happened; had that been the case, I think Nixon would have been considered one of the 20th century's best Presidents and a longstanding source of moral pride for Republicans. Instead, Tricky Dick's legacy is as being the most corrupt and 'evil' US President of the post-war era prior to 2016.

Shame that nukes and not human rights is the issue on the table. Even if NK agrees to shelf all nukes, their country still has the SINGLE WORST human rights record IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Kim Jong-Un is a murderer just like his father and grandfather. North Korea is as close as you can get to hell on earth

I watched this live and it was strangely heartwarming to see them cross the border both ways hand in hand. Also just seeing Kim Jong-Un in unedited video was weird. While all of that is true, it's better to not be too aggressive when you're building relations. We have a unique opportunity to make peace in the Korean Peninsula. It's best if we move slow and don't immediately start pressuring them too hard. We can address the human rights issues in due time, I'd rather get the threat of nuclear war out of the way first.

This is more of a change in leadership in SK and NK's nuke program being up to snuff finally. Trump has done literally nothing other than poke the hornets nest this entire time and piss off all sides. The only reason hes getting some credit is so he wont fuck it up. Because the best way to get trump to shut the fuck up is to make him gloat about himself. We have seen trump done nothing but mock NK and threaten nuclear war, no diplomacy, just childish mocking. Moon knows this, so he gave trump a hand job so he will shut the fuck up while appealing to the north.

Assuming it's genuine change coming, it'd be a combination of sanctions, societal unrest in NK, and the recent problems with their nuclear testing. All of those things adding up could make a motive for pushing for a cease in hostilities and/or a change in their government style.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Db0bLjgW4AAk4Ql.jpg (I didn't make this)

Yeah I read about some people theorizing that. there also "holy shit he might actually do it" sort of attitude that exudes from trump, where you never would have gotten that with obama.

You made this.