I have heard it told in my family that years ago a rift between brothers one of whom happened to by my maternal Grandfather was resolved after some forty years of the brothers not talking to each other. Which just goes to show that peace can rather unexpectedly break out much to everyone’s surprise.
Even so I do find it amazing that after years of threats, missiles and big bombs suddenly in Korea, at least for a time, people are talking Love and not War.
How long this will last is anyone’s guess however let us soak in the sun while we can.
One interesting point in the Korean declaration from 27/4/18 was the significant assertation “The two leaders confirmed a common goal of complete denuclearization” ie establishing a nuclear free zone.
The difference of course between establishing a nuclear free zone and NK simply giving up its atomic arsenal is highly significant. For one it would require other counties in the region including US to also give up possibility of stationing or using nuclear weapon’s in the area. In other words it is a honorable outcome. Of course setting denuclearization as a goal rather than an immediate action almost guarantees denuclearization will be a drawn out process with lots of negotiations and probably ups and downs on the way. Still even that is remarkable process from where we were a few months age.
As for other ramifications it is quite obvious that if the denuclearization process in Korea is successful, the agreement on denuclearization there will likely be a positive model for the Middle East.
External Sources/Links:
- 27_04_2018_korean_declaration
- a detailed paper on ins and outs of Nuclear free zones -> Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone in Northeast Asia: A South Korean Perspective