“If we consider the lessons learned from Hanoi, one possible lesson Kim Jong-un may have taken from the experience is that from his perspective, the United States did not take sufficiently seriously the idea that the North was negotiating from a position of strength. North Korea is asserting that its laws make denuclearization negotiations a non-starter. As a result, it is hard to imagine how the United States and North Korea will be able to frame a diplomatic negotiation process around a set of commonly held objectives. A logical course of action would be to further strengthen the North's military program so that its nuclear capabilities would be regarded as undeniable and irreversible. Once North Korea's Kim believes he has adequately achieved those objectives, he might in principle then be ready to return to diplomatic negotiations with the United States, but from an even stronger position than the North's Kim was in when he met with Trump in Hanoi in February of 2019.”

by: Scott Snyder