Kazianis on CNBC: The North Koreans "Don't Have any Intention of Denuclearizing."

The long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) is launched during a test in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15, 2017.
July 3, 2018 Topic: Security Region: Asia Blog Brand: Korea Watch Tags: North KoreaHarry KazianisMike PompeoMilitaryTechnologyWorld

Kazianis on CNBC: The North Koreans "Don't Have any Intention of Denuclearizing."

Mike Pompeo might face a "mission impossible" task heading into an important meeting in Pyongyang. 

Harry Kazianis, Executive Editor of The National Interest and Director of Defense Studies at the Center for the National Interest, says it seems the North Koreans "don't have any intention of denuclearizing."

You can see his comments below during an interview last night for CNBC.

Check out an excerpt from his most recent piece in The Hill here: 

With each passing day — and each new shocking revelation — it seems clear that President Donald J. Trump was duped by North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Despite the clear warning signs, despite the fact that North Korea has never kept its word in decades of nuclear negotiations, the Trump administration decided to undertake a strategy that attempted to make Kim Jong Un feel secure, to show him that there was a better path for him and his people if he rid the world of the North's nuclear weapons program. Among the glitz and glamor of cosmopolitan Singapore, the world hoped Kim would be able to envision a new beginning, ending a threat that could have sparked a nuclear war just last year and which would have killed millions in the process.

But clearly it was not to be. It seems North Korea is only speeding up the pace at which it can build more nuclear weapons. Thanks to an incredible new report published Friday by NBC News, it seems the hermit kingdom is increasing the production of fuel for more nuclear weapons. Considering the fact that the North might have as many as 60 nuclear weapons — some of which could be massive hydrogen bombs, like the one tested last September — it seems clear North Korea has no intention of giving up any of its nuclear weapons.

Could we be in for another summer showdown with Pyongyang? I would say it seems now all but certain. Unless Secretary of State Mike Pompeocan pull of a miracle when he travels to North Korea this week, we should prepare for the worst.

You can read the full article here

Image: Reuters.