North Korea: Future Friend or Foe?
May 4, 2018
News broke that President Donald Trump accepted an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The two will meet and discuss denuclearization and “issues of mutual concern.” With this, America instantly began to discuss the possible outcomes. If they meet, it will be the first time a sitting U.S. President has met with the leader of North Korea, according to CNN.
The start of the unstable relationship between the United States and North Korea was the Korean War. Between nuclear bomb threats and separation, it seems as though the future will be nothing short of the same thing. Both Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un seem to have the same goals in mind and let that take over their sense of diplomacy. Stopping at nothing, both leaders will do anything for money, fame, and power.
Each leader posed threats involving nuclear weapons on the other. On January 3rd, President Donald Trump posted a tweet via his Twitter handle, @realDonaldTrump. “North Korean leader Kim Jong-un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.’ Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”. Kim Jong-un responded by calling Trump a “lunatic” and a “loser.”
This is not the only childish banter exchanged between the two, and probably won’t be the last. Their narcissistic personalities clash while trying to act civil to each other.
According to psychotherapist Bärbel Wardetzki, “a narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by a deeply disturbed sense of self-esteem that is compensated for by creating a larger-than-life image of oneself.” Both leaders consider themselves the most trustworthy people they know and take no criticism. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un find that critiques given to them are humiliating.
Simply put, the future of the relationship between North Korea and the United States is unforeseeable. The only thing constant in the relationship is the fact it is unstable, and the future is not promising of change.