In spite of the vociferous reaction of the American press, Graham Allison argues, the "failed" U.S.-North Korea summit in Vietnam this past week may not be such a failure after all. To understand why, one has to look to history—and especially to similar denuclearization efforts led by Ronald Reagan.

What should Americans expect as the 2019 summit between the North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump approaches? In this piece, Graham Allison cautions that for the U.S. to make the most of the summit, President Trump should be careful not to define the national interest too narrowly.

Nonetheless, my bottom line: 2019 promises more of the same. Where this conflict stands today is not good. But it is better than it was when Trump took office, and better than it would be under a Clinton administration following conventional wisdom.

Drawing from the legacy of his friend and mentor Thomas Schelling, former Belfer Center director Graham Allison outlines the most pressing nuclear challenges that America faces today.

In the hyperpolarized state of American politics and policy debate, both critics and supporters of the Trump administration have become so predictable that they are now background noise. If required to summarize my assessment of the Trump-Kim summit in one line, it would be: oversold and undervalued. Despite their best efforts, his critics haven’t come close to matching Trump’s preposterous claim that “There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.”

Belfer Center experts offer insight and analysis of the Trump-Kim summit through statements and interviews.

On Monday night at 9 p.m. Eastern—9 a.m. Tuesday morning in Singapore—Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un will finally meet face to face. The daily swirl of insults and compliments as these two adversaries circle each other before the summit is dizzying. If this were a heavyweight boxing match, we’d need a bettor’s guide before wagering on the outcome.