In The News
from CNN
[13:30:00] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: "For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula was not even a small possibility. Now there's a good chance that Kim Jong-Un will do what is right for his people and humanity. Look forward to our meeting."
So you think there is now a real possibility of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula?
ELIZABETH SHERWOOD-RANDALL, FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE COORDINATOR FOR DEFENSE POLICY & WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCT & FORMER DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL ON EUROPE, NATO, EUROPEAN UNION: This is a very long game we're going to have to play. And there is maximum pressure right now on Pyongyang. So that creates a context for a possible negotiation. In addition, because the North Koreans continue to build an arsenal that now potentially threatens the United States' homeland, this is a moment for us to be interested in a conversation with the North Koreans. But there are many pitfalls. First of all, the North Koreans cheat on agreements, and we know it. Second, China, as I noted, isn't necessarily interested in America remaining in the region, and we have every reason to want to stay a major player in Asia. And third, we have little leadership that has remained in place at the Department of State, which is essential to advancing a substantive negotiation, which will be complex. And with the absence of many senior diplomats who have retired recently and a lack of a secretary of the state who's confirmed, there's reason to be concerned about a negotiation that will require great and rigorous attention to detail.
BLITZER: So that raises the question, is it a good idea for the president of the United States to be meeting in the next few weeks with the leader of North Korea?
SHERWOOD-RANDALL: Look, this is a bold move. And we're going to have to see how it plays out. What will be very important is there be care taken in what is agreed to on the spot. As I said, we know that the North Koreans have cheated before. There are two paths to a nuclear weapon. You can pursue plutonium reprocessing or uranium enrichment. In the Clinton administration, the North Koreans agreed to stop their nuclear program, stop their plutonium reprocessing, but in fact, they were secretly beginning to enrich uranium. So that's a very important thing to watch. In addition, it will be crucial for the president to avoid making any commitment to reduce the American troop presence in the republic of Korea, to stop our military exercises, or make any promises that would reduce our power and leverage in the region.
BLITZER: Well, they said they're not going to oppose the scheduled U.S./South Korean military exercises that are going on now. And they really haven't had a nuclear test or a ballistic missile test since last November. How much credit does all the tough talk from President Trump, how much credit do all the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration and the earlier Obama administration, but the Trump administration specifically, how much credit do they deserve for what seems to be an easing of tensions on the Korean peninsula?
SHERWOOD-RANDALL: I think that the North Koreans wanted very much to be treated with respect at the Olympics. And that happened. So that was a reason that I believe they withheld from testing ballistic missiles. Now we have a president whose said some things that are quite unusual for an American president, essentially threatening nuclear war in a way that has been not the precedent that is set by previous presidents. So he may have created so much anxiety in the region about the possibility of war that he has brought those who have previously not been willing to come to the table, to the table. But we'll have to see whether this actually bears out in a concrete agreement that advances America's and its al lies' national interests in the region.
BLITZER: We all remember the false hopes that occurred during the Clinton administration when the secretary of state, Madeline Albright, went to Pyongyang. There was great hope. Obviously, that hope disappeared relatively quickly.
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, thanks for joining us.
SHERWOOD-RANDALL: Thanks so much for having me, Wolf.