- The cancellation of a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un is not a promising start to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
- Experts say the Kim regime hasn't actually indicated it wants to give up the arsenal it's developed over the years.
- Ian Bremmer, political scientist and president of think tank Eurasia Group, said the rejection's a big embarrassment for the president, no matter how he tries to spin it.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un aren't meeting after all. At least not in Singapore on June 12. We know Trump canceled the summit but the real question is: why the turnaround? And what now?
The rejection is "not a promising start to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, but an astonishing misunderstanding," political scientist Thomas Jäger said in an interview with Business Insider.
Trump's administration was counting on North Korea's integration with the world economy and the US' guarantees of security being enough. They were expecting the regime to then renounce its nuclear weapons.
"That must have been a mix-up," said Jäger. The Kim regime hasn't actually indicated it wants to give up the arsenal it's developed over the years. This should also have become increasingly clear to the White House.
"Both sides have invested a lot," said Jäger. "And Trump wanted to be the one to pull the ripcord."
The US could take a harder line against China
"It was becoming clear to Trump that North Korea wasn't about to accept unilateral denuclearisation," according to Ian Bremmer, president of think tank Eurasia Group.
"That's why Trump decided to kill it. The rejection's a big embarrassment for the president, no matter how he tries to spin it but, of course, this is also a direct slap in the face to Kim," the American political scientist said.
Bremmer fears North Korea could soon being testing intercontinental missiles again.
If relations between the US and North Korea were to deteriorate again, this would also have an impact on China. China is North Korea's protective power and probably the largest geopolitical competitor of the US. On trade issues, however, the US and China have moved toward each other in recent days. That could change now.
"Trump's more cooperative stance on trade was directly linked to Chinese support on North Korea," said Bremmer," and Trump's been more critical of that in the past days."
"I have to think we're now facing a much tougher Trump orientation toward Beijing," Bremmer added.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: NBA ref explains why the James Harden step-back jumper isn't traveling