Did Kim know about the death of Otto warmbier? For that matter, did he know he was being held? Fact is, we don’t know the answer to that question.
Frankly I consider that a lot of the criticism being directed at Trump over his reaction to the Otto Warmbier situation with Kim is not being realistic in terms of priorities.
The Warmbier situation, tragic as it is, and as important as it is, pales in comparison to the prospects of denuclearizing North Korea, particularly when you consider the amount of lives that would be saved by that.
How far would the anti Trump crowd go for the one individual? Would they like it better if Trump had declared war on North Korea and invaded the place? I mean, what precisely are the limits, here? Do they actually have another realistic option? The answer is no.
There is a delicate negotiation going on here and brinkmanship is the coin of that realm. It’s not pretty, but it’s called reality.
Had Trump gone to the mat on this one, and spoiled the delicate negotiations that have been going on, it would have provided one more opportunity to call Trump a failure.
Those who are a railing against Trump taking Kim at his word that he didn’t know about Warmbier do not understand negotiation tactics. Else, perhaps it’s more convenient to ignore such things. Such people should ask themselves, though, what non-engagement has brought us and for that matter, what appeasement has brought us.
I mean, let’s remember please that it was the Clinton administration who gave North Korea nuclear capability in the first place.
How much is the anti Trump crowd willing to sacrifice on the world stage, how many lives, for the purpose of scoring a small and rather obscure point at home?