One of the reasons that I think that President Donald’s Trump bid to change the nature of our relationship with North Korea, as well as its place in the world, has been a success is the response of the American media.

For example, during the Summit in Singapore, when it became apparent that both Trump and North Korea’s Chairman Kim Jong-Un were going to have a highly productive meeting that included an informal agreement, the faces on the elite media members were reminiscent of Election Night 2016. Rachel Maddow seemed especially sad.



Another reason for my optimism is the snark that has been leveled at an innovate bit of video diplomacy launched by Trump, who showed the movie buff Kim an intriguing, new production.

The video, “A Story of Opportunity,” begins with various images highlighting both American and North Korean culture and seems to be a trailer of what’s envisioned as a lasting product of the summit. “History may appear to repeat itself for generations, cycles that never seem to end,” the narrator intones. “There comes a time where only a few are called upon to make a difference, but the question is, what difference will the few make?” he says as images of Trump and Kim appear. More images are seen, of Kim crossing through the infamous Demilitarized Zone with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, another historic first for the strongman’s Hermit Kingdom. “Two men, two leaders, one destiny. A story about a special moment in time when a man is presented with one chance that may never be repeated — what will he choose?”

I thought the video was a brilliant change from the threat-oriented, bribe-based Smart Diplomacy offered by previous administrations that eventually lead to Kim lobbing test ballistic missiles toward Guam. My favorite part, depicting one possible future, shows the classic satellite image of a dark North Korea altered to one in which it is lit as brightly as its southern counterpart.

In fact, this production seems part of a new trend in social media diplomacy that was also recently practiced by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu released a video in which he offered Israel’s water expertise to an Iran he said faces an environmental disaster due to persistent drought. The videos allow the leaders of one nation to directly address the citizens of another, bypassing the messaging they normally receive.

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Needless to say, the Trump-haters and the elite media detested the production, confusing persuasion with propaganda. The over-the-top reactions confirm “A Story of Opportunity” was a palpable hit.

During his historic meeting with Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump played a propaganda-like video praising the summit between both leaders. The President said the White House produced video could be ‘the future’ for the North Koreans. https://t.co/4rVOJOe6gZ — MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 13, 2018

The nature of Donald Trump’s propaganda video for Kim Jong Un—its grandiosity, its gaudiness, its chaotic logic—is such that we must understand the President as its author. https://t.co/zBZ1uA8hBg — The New Yorker (@NewYorker) June 12, 2018

Watch the Creepy Propaganda Video Trump Made for Kim Jong Un: ‘Two Men, Two Leaders, One Destiny’ https://t.co/r9TfqY5MMW pic.twitter.com/BKklKV9pk2 — Mediaite (@Mediaite) June 12, 2018

One statement during the summit that caught my ear, as Kim said it was time to ‘leave the past behind‘ and embark on a new era of relations with America while promising that the world will see a ‘major change.’ I think this confirms my optimism, and I hope to see that Kim directs his people to make the positive images in the diplomatic video a reality.

Having a new Korean peninsula satellite image would be, using one of our President’s favorite words, beautiful!

I sure wish our press would leave Election Night 2016 behind, and not shoot down a major peace initiative that has been launched with snark and disdain.



