"Trump should use Kim Jong Un to weaken anti-U.S. coalition"

U.S. experts have argued that Trump should use his friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to weaken the anti-American coalition in China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

Dmitry Alperovich, head of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a U.S. think tank, and Sergey Radchenko, a professor at Johns Hopkins University's Graduate School of International Relations, made the suggestion in a New York Times article, pointing to the strengthening of relations between the four authoritarian countries as the biggest diplomatic threat to the U.S.

"The Trump administration must act quickly to take advantage of the potential weak link before the coalition is solidified into a united bloc," the authors said, adding that "North Korea is a weak link."

For that reason, he explained, "Kim Jong-un is a cynical, very deal-oriented tyrant and it is doubtful whether he is committed to China and Russia."

The authors argued that Trump will use his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to establish a permanent peace agreement and formal diplomatic relationship with North Korea so that if peace comes to the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. will be able to focus on its biggest rival, China.

"This will at least take an unexpected toll on the anti-American coalition," he said.

The authors observed that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is only a "business deal" and that North Korea will respond to Trump's diplomatic contacts because the long-term benefits of normalizing relations with the United States are greater.

However, the reason why the negotiations broke down during Trump's first term was that the U.S. insisted on complete denuclearization of North Korea, and argued that it should change its strategy and set more realistic goals such as freezing nuclear tests and suspending missile launches instead of denuclearization.