While the President and a Sitting United States Senator, in the President’s own party, are embroiled in a twitter feud, the North Korea situation continues to fester. The story develops day by day in the background, though not much has really changed in the past six months. The United States, and allies, state that North Korea needs to stop developing nuclear weapons. North Korea responds by claiming that nuclear weapons are being used as a deterrent to help them remain as a sovereign nation and then launches a few missiles in protest. The situation hasn’t escalated beyond a war of words, for now.
The Secretary of Defense, James “Mad Dog” Mattis, has alerted the military to stand ready if diplomacy fails:
America’s relationship with North Korea remains a diplomatic one, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said Monday, but he urged members of the military to be prepared in case the situation breaks down.
Mattis also used his keynote speech at the annual AUSA conference in Washington, D.C., to thank allies who have stood with the U.S. through the ages.
“It is right now a diplomatically, economic-sanctions-buttressed effort to try and turn North Korea off of this path,” Mattis told the audience. “What does the future hold? Neither you nor I can say.”
Since the situation is still one of diplomacy, we need someone with more charm than Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to manage this renegade nation. Perhaps it’s time to send in America’s finest negotiator:
Former President Jimmy Carter (D) reportedly offered to meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in an attempt at peace talks.
A University of Georgia professor detailed Carter’s offer to Korea JoongAng Daily, a South Korean newspaper.
“Carter wants to meet with the North Korean leader and play a constructive role for peace on the Korean Peninsula as he did in 1994,” Park Han-shi told the newspaper.
Park, who met with Carter, is the professor emeritus at the university’s School of Public & International Affairs.
“Should former President Carter be able to visit North Korea, he would like to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and discuss a peace treaty between the United States and the North and a complete denuclearization of North Korea,” Park told the paper.
Park said Carter wants “to prevent a second Korean War.”
Carter’s probably well-intentioned, but you and I both know that there’s zero chance President Trump would allow a former President to take any of the glory away from dealing with the NorKs.
Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un is pretty certain that the CIA is working overtime to expedite his demise:
North Korea has claimed the US tried to assassinate its Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, earlier this year.
The state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed the CIA attempted to use a chemical or biological poison to take out the dictator.
The alleged attempt shows the US is the “main culprit behind terrorism”, it said.
The news agency, which is seen as the propaganda wing of the country’s ruling Workers’ Party, said: “In May this year, a group of heinous terrorists who infiltrated our country on the orders of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the US and the South Korean puppet Intelligence Service with the purpose of carrying out state-sponsored terrorism against our supreme headquarters using biological and chemical substance were caught and exposed.
“This palpably shows the true nature of the US as the main culprit behind terrorism.”
The “Supreme Leader” is lashing back at the United States and South Korea, and claims it has stolen war plans obtained by hackers:
Hackers from North Korea are reported to have stolen a large cache of military documents from South Korea, including a plan to assassinate North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.
Rhee Cheol-hee, a South Korean lawmaker, said the information was from his country’s defence ministry.
The compromised documents include wartime contingency plans drawn up by the US and South Korea.
They also include reports to the allies’ senior commanders.
The South Korean defence ministry has so far refused to comment about the allegation.
Plans for the South’s special forces were reportedly accessed, along with information on significant power plants and military facilities in the South.
What to believe and what not to believe? The plans that Kim stole could have been planted, perhaps made available for them to steal as a threat the US and South Korea really are working up war plans. It’s hard to believe that Kim will actually push things to the point of self-destruction, but he has to push as much as he can so as to remain the strong man in this situation.
President Trump claims the policy of the last 25 years hasn’t worked:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/917341511754436609
Well, maybe, but that depends on what you consider a benchmark for success. Kim Jong is contained, for the most part, but his recent missile launches clearly indicate increased aggression. However, he’s still a helpless dictator at the hands of China and larger powers in the region.
The back-and-forth between the US and the NorKs continues to increase. Most of the public information flying around is probably half true or not true. The real meat of the discussions are happening behind closed doors.
Perhaps just send Jimmy Carter over with help from Dennis Rodman to take care of things and call it a day.
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