In Trump negotiations, Kim Jong Un may be swayed by economic potential: Kennedy

There are many reasons Kim Jong Un would want to give up his big boy arsenal and join the global community.

For one, there's a lot more Swiss cheese for a globetrotting reformed despot who's willing to leave his cozy hermit's shell. Kim Jong Un is a millennial who has the same longing for selfies, avocado toast and fame as every other one of his generational counterparts. Sure, his murderous streak is wider than Michael Moore’s waistband, but by appealing to his vanity and distracting him with capitalist baubles the president may use just enough sleight of hand to make this damn thing work. So how do you distract a nuke happy man baby? Show him a neat car that goes fast and shoots things!

Cynics say the only reason the president is hell bent on making this deal is to plop a few Trump hotels and condos on North Korea’s lonely shores. He's a real estate junkie, and of course he's going to find his happy place as dollar signs light up his eyes while he ganders the pristine NOKO topography. It's like asking a gambler to walk through a casino and not think about hitting a 21 on blackjack. If the alternative to nuclear annihilation is some gaudy Pyongyang condo complex, the choice is easy.

Of course the difficult work lies ahead and the scant details have to be fleshed out for what is hopefully a lasting, once unthinkable peace.

Capitalism failed to take root and topple theocratic regimes after the Arab spring. But North Korea has a lot more in common with eastern Europe, and once those stunted, imprisoned kids taste Coca-Cola and rock ‘n’ roll, there's no putting the genie back in a labor camp.