This letter is very strange, and its implications are significant. Some thoughts: <THREAD> 
1) The tone of the letter is oddly warm and collegial. The President clearly sees Kim as an equal and counterpart, which will give Kim a tremendous amount of domestic and international legitimacy.
2) The reason for cancelling the summit is vague. Is it because they said something mean about the Vice President, or previous statements about their (unsurprising) unwillingness to denuclearize?
3) My guess is that POTUS (finally) realized he wasn’t going to get a big, beautiful deal and would prefer nothing to something that falls short of the miraculous.
4) To my mind, them blame for killing diplomacy lies with Bolton. His talk of the “Libya Model” was (intentionally or unintentionally) the perfect way to maximize North Koren fees and spark a reaction that justified cancellation.
5) The timing of this letter is also highly questionable. Coming just a few hours after NK demolished it’s nuclear test site, it guarantees that the US takes the blame for undermining diplomacy. NK comes out looking like the reasonable one.
6) China is likely to more openly back North Korea. Sanctions enforcement will soften, and I expect high-level contacts will continue. If US returns to talk of attach, expect Beijing to be more explicit in its willingness to intervene.
7) South Korea is also likely to be angered, and the Alliance will take a hit. Expect Seoul to try to continue engagements with Pyongyang, even if it widens a rift with Washington.
8) Ultimately, this cannot just go back to how it was before the Winter Olympics. North Korea is in a stronger position, Kim has far more legitimacy, China is more engaged, South Korea has invested a lot into diplomacy, and the US role is more circumscribed. <END>
