My friend, Dan Miller over A Sclerotic Goes to War notes that
Kim Jong-un has been deemed “crazy” because he is unpredictable. Trump is far from crazy, but can be unpredictable when he wants to be. China does not know what Trump might do about North Korean nukes and missiles, and that is a good thing.
It is, in fact, a very good thing. The article continues
NBC News is reporting that the possible moves include not only assassinating Kim Jong-un, but moving nukes back into South Korea for the first time since the end of the cold war.
The National Security Council has presented President Trump with options to respond to North Korea’s nuclear program — including putting American nukes in South Korea or killing dictator Kim Jong-un, multiple top-ranking intelligence and military officials told NBC News.
Both scenarios are part of an accelerated review of North Korea policy prepared in advance of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.
The White House hopes the Chinese will do more to influence Pyongyang through diplomacy and enhanced sanctions. But if that fails, and North Korea continues its development of nuclear weapons, there are other options on the table that would significantly alter U.S. policy.
Well, that’s a couple of options we wouldn’t have heard in the last eight years, when as that article states Obama’s policy was to, “speak softly and never even pick up the stick”.
According to The Washington Examiner, The Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson said
Chinese President Xi Jinping has agreed to boost cooperation with the U.S. on trying to persuade North Korea to abandon its pursuit of long-range nuclear weapons, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday.
In an off-camera briefing with reporters on the second and final day of President Trump’s summit with his Chinese counterpart, Tillerson said the two leaders recognized the imminent threat North Korea poses and agreed to respond accordingly.
That’s a good thing, as we talked about a bit last week. But you know, I know, even your crazy Aunt Madge knows, the Chinese don’t give any more of a damn about the crazy little man/boy and his Norks than they did last week. What’s changed? Their perception of what Uncle Sam may do about it. Specifically that we might actually do something.
Putting Nukes back in South Korea has to give them nightmares of the same magnitude that the Sovs putting them in Cuba did us a couple of generations ago. China has always wanted buffer areas. That why they came in against us in the Korean War, and they had telegraphed that they would. That is why we didn’t approach their border in Vietnam. It’s also why the western Europeans were so desirous of expanding NATO eastwards.
Where the rubber meets the road for me is that as the superpower sheriff, America must have guidelines. If you do something, and using chemical weapons is one of those things, America will act. But you will not know what America will do, it might call on the UN to sanction you, it might destroy an airfield or two, then again, it might take your country apart, and arrange a meeting with your god for you. You have no need to know what the sheriff will do. You just need to know that he will do something, and so it is in your best interest to not call attention to yourself by doing things that Sheriff Sam has said are not acceptable behavior. If you don’t, he’ll mostly leave you alone.
I also noticed that almost everybody thought that the Syrian strike was a good idea, except the usual suspects.
via Did the Syria strike push China toward action on North Korea? |
And speaking of the usual suspects, the headlines from Iranian FARS News (more or less official) are interesting.
* ‘Emergency’ Protests across US Demand ‘Hands off Syria’
* Swedish Medical Associations Says White Helmets Murdered Kids for Fake Gas Attack Videos
* Syrian Army Chief Visits Airbase Hit by US Missiles before Resumption of Operation
* Anti-War Group Protests against US Strike in Syria
* Russia: US Fails to Prove Existence of Chemical Weapons at Syrian Airfield
* Top Iranian, Russian Security Officials Discuss US Missile Strike on Syria
* Hezbollah Condemns US Blatant, Foolish Attack on Syria
* Russian Ground Force to Take Part in Anti-Terrorism Operation in Syria’s Hama
* Blustering Toward Armageddon: How Trump Is Upsetting China While Antagonizing Russia
* Top Iranian, Russian Security Officials Discuss US Missile Strike on Syria
* Arab Analyst: US Attack against Syria Not to Topple Assad
* Syrian Fighter Jets Restart Combat Flights over Terrorists’ Centers from Shayrat Airbase in Homs
Sounds a bit hysterical to me, and I suspect if they challenge another US vessel in international waters, it will get worse.
Sometimes we can be like Ransom Stoddard and bring our lawbooks, but sometimes we simply have to be Tom Doniphan, using the old ways to advance civilization. The key is doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. It’s also very helpful to keep the cards close to our chest so that only we know what we are going to do.
