The appointment of John Bolton as National Security Advisor has not only roiled the Moon administration in South Korea but generated a predictably divided response in the U.S. between supporters and detractors.

But it has also generated a more nuanced debate about whether Bolton will matter one way or the other. The dominant fear is that he will squander the summit moment by pushing Trump in a more hawkish direction, for example by insisting on preconditions or other poison pills.

I share those concerns. Yet it is also possible that Bolton will have little effect on the President