Is Sam Nunn Guiding Rex Tillerson’s North Korea Policy?

The latest Trump administration policy reversal is on North Korea, specifically having direct bi-lateral negotiations with the country.

Sam Nunn might be the reason for that.

WABE’s Dennis O’Hayer alluded to that this morning. While he wasn’t so bold to directly claim as much, I will.

In a March interview with WABE, Nunn said the “most important” action is to start negotiations with North Korea.

“We ought to have  a bilateral discussions with the North Koreans, informal and without pre-conditions, because its in everyone’s interests including the North Koreans to resolve this and keep the Korean Peninsula nuclear free.”

I don’t know about you but the tune and the tone of that quote sounds a lot like what Secretary of State Tillerson told NPR on Thursday.

“We hope to convince them is that: you do not need these weapons to secure the existence of your regime. … We do not seek a collapse of the regime. We do not seek an accelerated reunification of the peninsula. We seek a denuclearized Korean peninsula.

[A]dding he believes that China shares this goal and is beginning to question whether North Korea is a “liability.”

Tillerson also said he believes China and other superpowers should enforce the UN sanctions already in place against North Korea. Yet another policy about-face and a view that is held by Nunn and articulated in the March interview.

All of that could be rather coincidental but it’s worth remembering Nunn introduced Tillerson at his Senate confirmation hearing suggesting the two have a close connection.