North Korea responds to Trump in bluster war escalation.
A day after both Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un announced to the world they were officially playing with fire, North Korea ratcheted up the conflict rhetoric yet again with the country’s state media announcing Pyongyang will have completed a plan by mid-August to fire four ballistic missiles within 18 to 25 miles of the U.S. territory of Guam. The incendiary statement comes after both leaders poured kerosene on the countries’ dispute over North Korea’s fast-advancing nuclear program.
The North Korean statement released by state media mouthpiece KCNA quoted Gen. Kim Rak Gyom, head of North Korea’s rocket command, as saying North Korea was “about to take” military action against Guam. Overheated rhetoric from Pyongyang is nothing new, but what’s different this time around is that the U.S., last November, elected a president who doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing. That’s just a fact. This isn’t Survivor. This is real life. But here we are. There is no doubt that North Korea is an increasingly urgent problem that will require U.S. attention, perhaps sooner rather than later, but having a commander in chief who is constitutionally incapable of not checking his mentions much less letting a slight go, isn’t helping.
Trump successfully personalized the spat and drew an arbitrary red line. “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.” The display of unbridled, totally unnecessary machismo may play well with his base, but his base doesn’t have nukes. North Korea does. And North Korea responded to Trump’s red line with another threat the following day. Now what?
AdvertisementIt’s a rookie mistake of such colossal proportion it’s hard to even know where to start. The first thing it would be important for the president to acknowledge is that diplomacy and negotiation are real things that when done well can lead to far different outcomes than when done poorly. Second, talking tough is great if it works, but jumping ahead five steps and threatening hellfire doesn’t exactly leave any wiggle room for negotiation. Where’s the out? Where’s the artistry of this deal? And, to be clear, the ideal outcome here is a negotiated de-escalation that allows for the U.S. to pursue other avenues to achieve the goal of dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. Just a reminder to the president of the United States and the Bannon “global reckoning” wing of the White House.
North Korea, sensing it had struck a nerve with the historically green American president, followed up Wednesday by taunting that Trump “let out a load of nonsense about ‘fire and fury’ ” and “sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason and only absolute force can work on him.” The president of the United States has managed, so far, not to return fire in the bluster war, which is a good thing, because each time he does respond it makes it more likely that we’ll all be involved in a real one.
Tweet Share Share Comment(责任编辑:新闻中心)
- NASA's new plan keeps Starliner astronauts in space until 2025
- Cannavaro on brink of sack again
- Our downloaded Facebook profiles are creepy dossiers of half truths
- Solskjaer hails United's away consistency, Moyes upset with decision
- Value Judgment
- Yoon, US Senate's armed service committee chief discuss alliance, N.K. threats
- ‘FIFA wants to improve offside rule’
- FA condemns Millwall fans for booing players as they take a knee
- US wants diplomatic solution to North Korea's nuclear crisis: CIA chief
- 味道真系正!怀集食材邂逅顺德厨艺
- North Korean delegation inspects concert venues in Seoul
- Chris Pratt shares behind
- South Korean skiers head to North for joint training at Masikryong
-
“精致小春姐”顾春芳:华丽白西装、镶钻水晶拖鞋,带来新兴凉果No.1
“精致小春姐”顾春芳:华丽白西装、镶钻水晶拖鞋,带来新兴凉果No.1_南方+_南方plus“欢迎收听广东‘讲错’电台编外节目之广东省第一届农事运动会乡村直播大赛......”来自云浮市新兴县的村播“精 ...[详细] -
Airbnb offers free housing to those affected by Barcelona attacks
Airbnb is looking to lend support to those affected by the recent terror attack in Barcelona, Spain. ...[详细] -
Solskjaer hails United's away consistency, Moyes upset with decision
LONDON:Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised his team's consistent form away fr ...[详细] -
Teeny shelter puppies get an adorable newborn photoshoot
"What happens when a foster mom is also a newborn photographer?" Kelly Frankenburg asked on her blog ...[详细] -
How 3D Game Rendering Works: Texturing
In this third part of our deeper look at 3D game rendering, we'll be focusing what can happen to the ...[详细] -
No US military action during inter
By Kim RahnU.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that there will be no military action by his countr ...[详细] -
Google will now let users auto
Google is giving people a lot more control over their personal data.The company announcedon Wednesda ...[详细] -
Here's what the Google vs. Oracle lawsuit is all about
UPDATE: Aug. 28, 2018, 2:41 p.m. PDT Google announced on Tuesday it planned to appeal the court's de ...[详细] -
ListentoarticlePresident Asif Ali Zardari has conferred the prestigious Hilal-e-Imtiaz on Olympic go ...[详细]
-
Our downloaded Facebook profiles are creepy dossiers of half truths
Facebook knows too much about us. This sad fact of modern life is one that the reporters and editors ...[详细]
- 11 Unique Amaros and Liqueurs to Level Up Your Aperol Spritz
- Main opposition leader says pastor should face consequences
- 市检察院、雨城区检察院联合开展“检察开放日”活动
- Facebook is actively deleting shares of 'The Daily Stormer' article on Heather Heyer
- Freedom from Dissent
- 市检察院、雨城区检察院联合开展“检察开放日”活动
- How to groom your pubic hair without ending up in the ER