By Charles Kay

First and foremost, exchanges have to go two ways. The beginning of a cultural exchange needs to inspire optimism, not cynicism, on both sides, and unfortunately for Rodman, his initiative was ridiculed in the press from the start. The planners of this trip certainly appear optimistic, but they also come off as deeply myopic, because they ignored, paradoxically, the American public. Simply put, they did not actively seek to break stereotypes of the North Korean people to American audiences, while at the same time fell victim to major design flaws of the exchange itself that doomed its effectiveness from the start.