On Monday Steyn joined Tucker Carlson live across America. He was there to discuss G7 fallout, but the Trump and Kim limousines started moving early so the topic was switched to the impending and most unusual summit in Singapore. Click below to watch:
Mark will be back on air for some post-summit analysis with John Oakley this Wednesday on 640 Global News Radio Toronto.
Two days later, on Friday night, he'll be live on stage in Toronto to accept the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms' very first George Jonas Freedom Award.
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Wow. Wow. Wow. Just watched this week's Coumo interview with Dennis Rodman. Rodman actually broke down in tears describing how many years - over five - he's worked to connect with North Korea and Kim Jung Un and how open he found Kim was to changing the situation and he described how when he came back to the States with this message, Obama brushed him off. Rodman was targeted with all sorts of vile abuse, insults and threats for saying North Korea wasn't what it was being made out to be. To witness this historic summit really happen with Donald Trump and Kim jung Un and the treaty signed, he couldn't keep the tears back. No wonder the White House just publically thanked Rodman. He actually had been working on reconciliation for years, and it was from the heart, not for personal gain. It's true, Rodman didn't get the thougthful anaylsis or serious reception his efforts deserved.
Can't wait for the North Korean files to be opened. The narrative from the media and the government has been so different than what we're witnessing. There must be all sorts of incriminating information, because some people aren't happy at all. Never, ever, ever saw a head of state personally lugging a bulging messengers bag to meet another head of state. Hand-delivered.. what?
Thought it was very fishy when during the first of the primary presidential debates the candidates were asked what they would do if three minutes into being sworn in, they got the panic alert that there was an incoming missle from NK. What a weird set-up question. Every other candidate wanted to project tough and attack! but everyone blinked at Trump when he replied that his policy was to be busy connecting and negotiating so that wouldn't happen in the first place. His response was the outlier and it was made to look odd instead of wise. Go back and watch the debate, then consider the greatest achievement for peace in 60 years represented by the ceremony this week.
Mark:
I was stupidly unaware that providing a link to a 3 yr-old article and posting the comments of someone in quotation marks and clearly indicating they are his words and not mine is still considered "property theft." Even if it is unintentional.
I also did not realize that I had posted 53% of his comments from his relatively short article. I was surprised by George Jonas' opinion of Trump and got carried away. These are partial reasons for my stupidity but none of them are justifiable excuses for my ignorance of the copyright laws.
Your copyright warning at the bottom of your article (not the page) is in small print but to the point.
The 2015 National Post article internet page that I copied George's words from (and clearly indicated they were his words and not mine) also has a similar warning but they are easy to miss in the bottom "flap."
Thanks for teaching me an embarrassing lesson as I don't often use the quotes of others and this imprudent attempt was by far, the lengthiest and the dumbest ever. I will certainly not do so again.
Thanks also for giving me a harsh legal education and for not posting my ignorant "copyright theft" even if I did quote another person's words and make it clear they were his words and not mine. I now realize a clearly identified attribution is not enough and I will not soon forget your scolding.
When I'm wrong or stupid, I can admit it. My sincere apology.
However, your final comment about not stealing the work of others here was unnecessary overkill IMO. You had already firmly squashed me like a bug.
Mark replies:
Dear Neil,
It was not my intention to squash you like a bug. Nor to accuse you of not giving credit to George for the words - which would be plagiarism rather than a breach of copyright. But I thought your accusation that I was "censoring" you required a cool, legal answer: In Canada each individual breach of copyright is punishable by statutory penalties of $500 to $2,000 - for which we, as the publisher, would be liable. I respect the law - unlike a certain bum who owes me four million dollars.
Finally, the reference to "stealing the work of others" was not a slur on you, but on us. When SteynOnline publishes the work of other men without permission, that's what it is: an act of theft. The story of "Oh! Susanna" and Stephen Foster is instructive in this regard.
Neil
We MSC members may be here for a variety of reasons, but one thing I am sure we all agree upon is that "we don't need no more stinkin' lawsuits!" We get a great ROI on our membership, and will continue to circle the wagons as needed.
Aloha Snackbar!
As far as I know. I properly submitted a comment with some June 2015 quotes of George Jonas' published opinion of Trump's run for the Presidency. The comment was submitted many hours ago but has not appeared.
If we are censored, it would be "nice" if we were at least informed that our comments were rejected or deleted via an e-mail reply just as we are informed when our comments are posted.
My intention was not to disparage Jonas but to simply reveal his written opinion about Trump's run for the Presidency. Being censored for that--if that is what happened (rather than being misplaced)-- is unsettling and unexpected on a Mark Steyn site.
Mark replies:
It's nothing to do with "censorship", Neil. It's copyright theft - to which, as a fellow who makes his living from writing, I am implacably opposed. Hence the copyright notice at the foot of this page.
You cut and pasted over 50 per cent of George's column - which is not only inappropriate (a comment is supposed to be by the commenter, not by third parties) but is an act of intellectual-property theft under US, Canadian, Commonwealth and most European law. We don't go in for that here.
So no need to be "unsettled" by "censorship". But this is a rare corner of the Internet where we don't steal the work of others, and that's not going to change.
How was it that North Korea was at the 2018 South Korean Olympics? Negotiations for that had to have been far along in the works last year. Tellingly, there were no weird diplomatic dances, dodges and 'Who's First in Line' and 'Who Has to Leave Stage Left When Our Personage Arrives', that one often sees when two hostile parties have to be within 500 feet of each other. It looked very normal. Kim looks very happy, relieved. Maybe like the fall of the Soviet regime, they'll open the files so the public can find out what really happened there and who did it for the past 60 years.
Can't believe the whiners in the media. Obama got a Nobel Prize which comes with a cool $1 million cash for the act of being elected, not a calorie of energy expended more than that, but Pres. Trump shakes hands in Singapore with a beaming Kim Jung Un ending over half a century of cold war and it's sniff, hmph! and grumble-grumble. EVERYONE can enjoy this, everywhere, it benefits ALL of us on every continent no matter what political philosophy.
Well, it doesn't seem to benefit Jim Careless, er... Carrey. Or maybe it does. He did manage to get some press for what looked like a colouring accident.
I'm sure if President Trump started walking on water the Left would be screaming about possible damage to the marine ecosystem.
Heh!
There was a joke I heard, that Trump was on a yacht with May, Macron and the Pope (Trudeau not invited). The Pope fell overboard and Trump walked on water to rescue him. Within minutes, CNN reported the headline news, "Trump Can't Swim".
I think I may have posted this previously. If so, forgive me.
Good thing Merkel wasn't on the guest list or that joke might get stale soon. It looks like her coalition of the not-so-willing that's currently forming the German government is starting to unravel. She's pretty cunning and may find a way out of it, but I'm thinking that her days are numbered. She's taken the Soros line hard and fast and the public throughout Europe seems to be finally realising that maybe that line is not in their best interest and that their media has been lying to them for years. I wouldn't say that Germany was saved just yet, but the onslaught has been slowed and it may be halted soon if the people can out maneuver Brussels to save their country.
Lee did not end corruption in Singapore. As with Hong Kong, the establishment of Common Law and a small but fair, British-trained civil service, a neutral police force and "fair play" enabled them to avoid the ravages of corruption. Contrast with India, which had the same starting point but has reverted.
The best thing that Lee did was ensure that English became the official language of Singapore. The second best thing he did was get out of the Malaysian Federation and blend monoculturalism and Singaporean Nationalism from a hodge-podge of ethnicities.
The third best thing was banning chewing gum.
I am the only person in my circle of friends and family who knew and proclaimed that this was a done deal before he stepped off the plane. I have been doing business with Koreans for 45 years. Over the years I've learned so much from those people. They are nothing like the Chinese, Japanese or other Asians.
Korean ethics are the highest I've ever encountered. Their word is their contract, and their terms get better - ONLY with those who also share their high standard for conduct. I can say this across the board. I have NEVER had a bad experience with my Korean business associates.
What happens in my business when the name changes from Kim to Lee? It's a whole new ballgame... they cheat, steal and lie. Sorry, some generalizations just keep keepin on.
So when my contacts told me North Korea was tired of the Chinese model, and ready to bond with their relatives in the South... I believe them. North Korea is another Singapore... waiting to blossom.
And Trump is the man to make it happen. I knew... I knew before he stepped off the plane. The deal was DONE. And it was. Mark these words - from those with relatives over there.... It's ON.
What a terrible time for Robert DeNiro to set fire to his waning career.... bad timing Bob. Between the sight of Baby Trudeau and his phony eyebrows .. what is up with that?
I mean, paste on eyebrows? And he's straight? --
A bad day for the enemies of my Donald. Bad bad day -- and Romney, still making the rounds in plaid golf pants - hawking time shares in neocon lite.... Are Mormons really that dumb? or tribal?
"I mean, paste on eyebrows? And he's straight?" Literally LOL. WTFrig?
I have had some very limited dealings with South Koreans and it has all been exemplary. Never a single concern. They do what they say they will do, sooner and cheaper than agreed 90% of the time. One thing I've heard about South Korea though, is that they make the finest knockoff products around, even fooling experts when it comes to fashion. China can't even come close. Its interesting to me, as most of the innovation still comes from the US but China, and South Korea apparently, can knock it off in a heartbeat. So is North Korea waiting to pounce on the US IP and knock it off for profit as well?
I am torn when it comes to this summit. The criticism the left is running with goes "had Obama done this, the right would have wanted him impeached!" True, I loathed Obama's dealings with Iran, Cuba and the like, but Obama would give his enemies the world for some fawning press, all the while those regimes would operate behind his back as if nothing happened...sometimes with Obama's help! But I digress. I doubt Trump draws red lines and makes empty threats, and bad press won't deter him. Regardless, I don't enjoy the image of our flag standing along the North Korean flag, I don't like the idea of us giving the Kim family any legitimacy, yadda yadda...
...however, if there were someone who could move the NoKo needle in terms of either denuclearization or improving humanitarian conditions, wouldn't it be Trump? He's assertive, but slightly unpredictable. His only military aggression has been action against Syria when they used chemical weapons on their own people. He can be both ruthless and compassionate. Who knows what sort of deal he'll work out. This is a roundabout way of stating that I'll wait to see the result of the summit before I assess it.
A slight aside, but one aspect of this ordeal that makes me chuckle is the fact Trump was supposed to be the megalomaniac who gave us nuclear war, but he's the first president in three generations of North Korean dictators to attempt some sort of positive reform. I'm hoping he's successful.
Here is hoping they work it out. Trump has definitely broken the ice.
Going back a few days. Why were there 2 unelected EU cronies (Tusk and Barnier) at G7 summit? (they were in official pictures)
Trump absolutely right again to keep well clear of this mumbling jungle.
He is showing how to govern and I just hope the career politicians are looking and learning.
Let's look at the participants in the G7.
UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, USA
The first four countries are all in the EU, so the G7 is irrelevant to trade within themselves.
Canada already has a trade deal with the EU, so the first five aren't pursuing that angle.
That leaves Japan and the USA.
What it really comes down to is the socialist bloc getting together to try and sponge as much wealth out of the US and Japan as they can, but obviously their focus is on the US. It's been working well for them for quite a while but President Trump is putting a stop to it and they really, really don't like it. As Margaret Thatcher said, the problem with socialism is that you always run out of other people's money, and they're desperate for a host that they can suck the life blood out of to feed their EUtopia. As is typical of the Left, they use all manner of word games to cover up what they're really after. In this case they're playing the 'old allies' card, but nobody is pointing out the obvious fact the it was the US that was the 'ally' that did all the heavy lifting in those enduring relationships to save and then protect their sorry asses. A more complete accounting of the 'old allies' history would show that it's the Europeans that are indebted to the US in that relationship and member states should act accordingly.
With the recent developments on North Korea, and with China making plays in the South China Sea, Japan will be very likely to stand with the US on most G7 matters. Under President Trump the US is no longer pursuing globalist policies and Japan isn't in favour of globalism either. While Japan will take trade advantages wherever they can get them, they also have regional security issues in mind and are keenly aware of the role the US plays as their strongest ally.
I'm guessing that the EU bureaucrats' presence at the Gy has something to do with the fact that the EU member states (one can't really use the term countries anymore if they've no functioning borders) have given up their sovereignty and can no longer make deals without the approval from Brussels. This is just a guess, but it seems likely it would be the reason. Their presence on this basis further strengthens my points above. It's not really a G7, it's a G4 (EU, Canada, Japan, US) but with Canada focused almost entirely focused on the US, just like the EU.
So now that President Trump has apparently ended a 68 year war that threatened the stability of the world, does anybody think the Nobels will swallow their socialist pride and award him the peace prize? Probably not. My guess is they'll give it to Kim and Moon and Xi. Or to Obamma, who made it all possible, f course.
Definitely not David: Collectively they are as far off the deep end as the democratic party and our media. I seriously doubt that Kimmy will give up his nukes but if anyone can do it our president whom actually has a pair just might pull it off. Dems are demanding Trump solve N. Korea's human right issues as well knowing full well it would torpedo any chance of an agreement - funny they didn't raise a peep about this during Obama's run nor did they complain about Iran's horrible record while cheerleading the Iran deal. They are collectively hypocritical, dishonest and stupid. We endured 8 years of this and I wonder if our disengaged populace will soon return them to power.
Must-see TV: Dennis Rodman on CNN in a MAGA cap, throwing Obama under the bus regarding North Korea.
"Trump does things differently" - Thank G-d for that. It is why he was elected and the reason why many of the "elites" like DeNiro, fear him. Nothing is accepted as-is now, everything is open for review and the worldview of those elites is being shaken by the foundations. I've seen it firsthand with my BIL, a member of the 1% who lives in a Manhattan duplex. Nice fella, but suddenly oh so hard done by, to hear him tell it.
For a serious summit the leaders should be involved at the ground level. Trump eschews the vast government leviathan that every country in the West has become, even as most Western countries continue to expand it.
Did Trump select Singapore as the location in order to give Kim a view of a successful society? It's reminiscent of Trump having the "most beautiful piece of chocolate cake" with Xi Jinping while dropping bombs on Syria. Perhaps it would be appropriate if Trump requested layer-cake for this summit. The man is not near as simple as the media would have us believe.
Good points as usual, Mark. I for one am happy to see a US president do something different rather than more of the same old failing policy -- so far, so good. Now if he could just get us out of the Middle-East....
The frackers are getting the US out of the Middle-East more effectively than any summit or peace deal or whatever piece of paper you care to name. Pity Australia doesn't have the balls to step up but oh well.
I think this summit is the exit strategy for Kim, to have an "honourable" exit from communism and still stay alive, with some kind of ceremonial leadership role ("Great Peacemaker") or some such appellation. I pray for all of those suffering in North Korea and hope this brutal regime comes to an end.
Mark, what do you think the chances are that if successful in essentially dismantling North Korea, Trump might turn his attention with equal fortitude to say, the Palestinians, or to the implosion of the Iranian regime, and/or to the jihad and its patron states in general.
Maybe. You mean a deal where the Kims get to retain their divine status in exchange for a political compromise? Feasible and practical, but very optimistic. A shrewd negotiator would recognize that Kim isn't so much a dictator as a god, and he might be open to official recognition of his divinity in exchange for a deal on politics and economics.
One point some Korean specialists are making is that things are now no bad in the Hermit kingdom because of Trump's sanctions that societal collapse is a major threat to Kim's regime. If this is Kim's immediate fear instead of a military attack, then there is a very real chance of a deal. Perhaps he's looked at the two choices - I can keep the nukes and be driven out of office or maybe killed - or I give them up and modernize my economy and still rule with an iron hand. There is at least a chance here. Dems of course are already trying to sabotage any deal. Should we expect any less from this crowd?
Gods are usually dead.
He is trying to get out of China's orbit - and he needs the USA to counterbalance the Chinese, who now have their own Emperor for Life.
"Gods are usually dead."
Exactly. He is still young, there is history to be made, and Kim needs to remain the exception as long as possible. Should he lose his divinity, his people are likely to sacrifice him and he could end up dead in a culvert like Gaddafi, and not at an old age. I doubt that escaping China's orbit or saving his people from starvation, or maintaining social order can compete as his top priorities, although they might be co-opted into a supporting role.
Roy,
The Kims taught the North Koreans to grow their own food and make do with less so that they could keep themselves pure from having to buy food from evil capitalist grocers. A people who owe so much to their divine rulers could not even imagine driving them out of office. Things might change if the Kims stop making the turnips grow or the rain fall, but probably not.
Honestly, I think that Kim Un talks to Trump because Trump is the only person in the world who ever talked back.
It does seem apparent to me, a nobody without any experience in diplomacy or mediation, that a bully really only responds to a bigger bully. I think Trump comes off playing the biggest bully when he needs to because he realizes this is how certain kinds of personalities need to be confronted. He comes out looking brilliant here and it was about time the good people of this country woke up and picked the right man for the job to lead the country out of the quagmire the nasty Left dragged us into. All the community organizers in the world couldn't have put this broken egg back together again. Trump rides again.
Not divine, but divine-ish. Some "bigly" honourary title Grand Poobah Uniter of Great Korean Nation or something. I think Trump did play up to his "godly" side in that video and the North Korean nuclear program and gulags cannot be shut down fast enough as far as I'm concerned. Kim is a vile, repulsive murderer but likely would prefer to remain alive. I think all these scumbags remember the end of Qadafi and Saddam. So yes, I think that's the deal.
Laura,
"Not divine, but divine-ish" ... " vile, repulsive murderer"
Ouch. You seem to not appreciate that Kim J Un and his daddy and granddaddy are worshipped in N Korea. The purpose of the gulags is to provide a facility for North Koreans who share your opinions to meditate on their errors. The gulags won't go away until the god goes away, and maybe not even then.
I fear that the Grand Poobah Uniter of Korea and Profiteer of Trump beach hotels will need gulags in the future as much or more than he does now...
I'll credit Trump for trying, but as long as he's doing things the unconventional way, the memorandum of understanding he just signed with Kim might best have been done on an Etch A Sketch.
I've seen many in the media questioning whether it's realistic to expect Kim to adhere to this deal. I think it is, and that's solely because of who is sitting on the other side of the table. Kim knows that if he doesn't take this chance then because of President Trump's resolve war is almost certainly likely. That's what makes this time around different than the previous administrations' attempts. President Trump plays hardball and it's something that dictators tend to understand; you say what you mean and you actually do what you say. The Left can't conceive of someone operating on those criteria because they don't say what they mean and they don't do what they say, so for them it does not compute and it must lead to disaster.
President Trump hasn't taken any of his pieces off of the table; the consequences that Kim will face by not following through are the same as if he had never made the deal and since sanctions remain in place the deal doesn't give Kim a reprieve either. The stick is still in play and the carrot must be earned. It may still come to war, but it certainly wouldn't even have a chance to come to peace if this summit hadn't taken place.
Not to rain on the premature victory parade, but we don't know what Kim has calculated, what Trump has threatened, and what Trump is willing to do. For all we know, Kim thinks Trump is bluffing and is using this solely for propaganda within his own country. And Trump could be largely bluffing. There's a reason the Korean conflict has been at stalemate since 1953. In that era, tens of thousands of western casualties was tolerable. Not anymore. Kim and his strategists are probably thinking about this with the same precision with which they, as a poor, hermit kingdom, advanced nuclear weapons technology at an Elon Musk pace.
Good discussion.
I thought about putting something in the previous post about the changes in eras, but didn't. The differences between militaries from the 50's until now has only become more pronounced. With drones and cruise missiles the US can do significant damage without risking their own personnel. That's not to say that US personnel wouldn't be at risk, but it would be much more limited than during the Korean War for a given amount of damage. The North Korean military is poorly supplied and ill equipped to face the US. With bases in South Korea, Japan, and then of course a couple of carrier groups offshore and B-1 bombers in Guam the US is well positioned. If it came to it I suspect that President Trump would escalate in stages, but he would escalate.
Perhaps the biggest consideration is the 10 million people living in Seoul, which is about 30 miles from the DMZ. It's assumed North Korea will begin bombing them if the US attacks North Korea.
The best outcome might be to format it as a treaty, drop it on Congress, demand a vote before elections, and campaign against every seditious dim and rino who votes against peace in Asia. But memos work as long as he's in charge. It's how his predecessor did business. It's the only way to get things done when stuck with an inept and incorrigible Congress. They can't make much of a legacy that way.
This points back to exactly what Mark was discussing with Tucker on Monday. If Kim thinks he's going to take over South Korea, he's delusional. If he looks at reality, he may realize no one wants to prevent North Korea achieving normal-state status. It's up to him as to whether he wants to continue controlling his people through murder, terror, brainwashing, prison camps, political suppression, etc. I suppose that's the sticking point. His father and grandfather enforced a deity-mythology about themselves at the expense of everyone else. What is the alternative to lifetime supremacy and domination over the North Korean people for Kim?
Earlier I suggested -- and may have raised an eyebrow or two in so doing -- that, unlike Canada's PM, Mark would have no use for the faux freckles now flooding the Canadian market (CTV Faux Freckles). I stand corrected. Looking at today's video, I can see both Mark and Tucker with a few coyly placed freckles adorning their ruddy cheeks. It's a real chance to get ahead of the curve.
If you can raise an eyebrow, Trudeau wants to hear from you!
A safer bet, from now on, would be the greasepaint eyebrows Eric Campbell wore in the Charlie Chaplin silent film The Immigrant.
Quite refreshing to see an actual male behaving like an actual executive.
For those who've glossed over their history studies, this meeting is a striking reminder of the good old days when the Byzantine Emperor might have met Attila the Hun. We can scratch our heads about who's who in this situation - obviously the knowitalls in the State Department and the EU will have opinions the reverse of some of us Deplorables - but it seems that the concept of 'bending the arc' lies rusting in the ditch, and we'll just have to see what comes next.