North Korea's harsh reaction to a high-level U.S. visit last week underscores how Pyongyang's militaristic impulses are still "alive and well" — and is unlikely to fully relinquish its arsenal, Eurasia Group said on Sunday.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to the hermetic regime prompted a bellicose response from the North Korean government, which hurled accusations of "gangster-like" diplomacy at Pompeo's efforts to encourage the country to lay down its nuclear arms. Pyongyang's response provoked new fears that a tenuous detente between North Korea and U.S. could already be nearing an end, even amid overtures from the totalitarian Communist regime.
In a research note, political risk analysis firm Eurasia Group suggested the strong reaction to Pompeo's visit "does not heighten the risk of talks breaking down in the near term." Moreover, it added that President Donald Trump was unlikely to respond to North Korea in the near term — a suggestion reinforced by the Secretary of State's own downplaying of North Korea's sharp remarks.
However, Eurasia estimated that high-level talks between Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un would continue, but fall short of full denuclearization.
"Whatever epiphany Kim did or did not have, he still needs to project strength to reduce pushback he might be encountering at home to his strategy of engagement with the U.S. and willingness to even discuss the possibility of giving up his nuclear weapons," Eurasia's analysts wrote.
"Kim also wants to ensure that the US and the world fully understand that he has no intention of giving away anything for free, or as quickly as the US might demand, but will instead work to ensure engagement proceeds slowly, with the US providing significant concessions throughout this process," it added.
Reference: CNBC
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