While the United States and North Korea go through annual tit-for-tat rhetoric escalations this time of year pretty much annually, this year’s tensions are through the roof, and there is growing reason to believe that the Trump Administration may be about to attack North Korea outright, launching a major military conflict.
The Trump Administration had been threatening to “take care of” the North Korea problem for weeks now, and today is to the point where officials told NBC News that the US is prepared to attack North Korea if they even think North Korea is about to conduct another nuclear weapons test.
That’s a huge escalation, made doubly so because there is actually reason to believe that North Korea is about to conduct another nuclear weapons test. This would be their sixth test, with the previous five showing signs of increasing capability.
Some officials appear to be disputing the report of the US planning such an attack, however, saying that there was no truth in it.
North Korean nuclear tests were previously followed by angry condemnations and threats of more sanctions. That’s kept the Korean War, which began in 1950, from ever really ending, as North Korean offers to negotiate a settlement have been spurned by US officials for years.
Attacking North Korea outright would be something else entirely, and with a US carrier strike group speeding toward the Korean Peninsula, other nations like Russia are expressing growing concern that’s a realistic possibility. If it does happen,, the consequences would be calamitous.
North Korea has been very blunt in their responses to the possibility of a potential attack, insisting they would carry out retaliatory nuclear strikes against US bases in the region, particularly those in South Korea. US officials doubted North Korea’s capability of actually carrying out such a move.
But the White House would be trying to call a very dangerous bluff by attacking and just betting North Korea doesn’t have deliverable nuclear warheads yet. To make matters even worse, North Korea is known to have a massive conventional missile arsenal, which would certainly be in play if the US attacks.
Even before North Korea had a nuclear program, that conventional arsenal was widely feared for having the capability of not only inflicting massive damage and casualties on US bases in South Korea, but having the potential to do devastating amounts of damage to densely populated South Korean cities like Seoul.
In the meantime, President Trump continues to hype the idea that he can “deal with” North Korea whenever he chooses, and having condemned the idea of diplomacy out of hand, seems to be squaring up for a military confrontation, irrespective of the consequences.
To distract or divert from his political trouble, Trump is capable of anything.
Unfortunately it is not so much a diversion of political trouble but a diversion of his intents for the budget, for Obamacare, for Planned Parenthood, for Social Security, for Medicare and Medicaid, for taxation and much more. Such topics have almost disappeared from CNN, MSMBC, etc.
Was the switch to these military acts predictable? Absolutely. As a businessman Trump was almost continuously involved in economic warfare with his competitors and they with him. He was going to run our country like his business. That is what analysts like Justin Raimondo never understood hence ignored. Now they are saddled with their huge mistake.
Raimondo made a mistake? Not really. He was always skeptical about Trump being able to steer clear of greater wars because he was soft on the smaller ones anyway.
The promise to end the IS during the election, for example, meant the U.S. would continue to stir the pot in Syria whenever and however a way around Russia could be found.
Almost anything; he’s bullying at helpless targets when they won’t or can’t shoot back.
Syria couldn’t shoot back because Chinese President Xi was visiting Palm Beach and Syrian retaliation/escalation would endanger the Chinese leadership, held hostage on American soil.
Blustering at North Korea is normal, but with the added twist here of trying to scare China into shooting North Korea first, or having North Korea shoot first, saving America the trouble of igniting chaos in Northeast Asia directly itself.
China attacking N.K. is the preferred outcome, as it theoretically protects South Korea, who’s economy is vital to America’s and the West’s own economic fortunes.
Attacking an alleged tunnel complex in Afghanistan with a MOAB, is total overkill and perhaps a bluster to far, insofar as it starts to look like just bluster at truly helpless and expendable targets.
china attacking n korea = America attacking Israel.
Doesn’t help that South Korea’s government is in disarray. The last time this sort of thing happened the President of South Korea talked Clinton out of it. There’s no sitting South Korean President to do that, this time.
Sure was convenient.
The MOAB strike in Afghanistan was a demonstration for North Korea of what might be done there just as the tomahawk attack on Syria was a demonstration for Iran. In the diplomatic arena president Trump thinks in terms of “Versailles for Syria, Iran, and North Korea”. Defeat first, then impose a political solution. Replace the UN with the US hegemon. All within 4 years.
The federal shortfall will go through the roof especially when you cut the FICA taxes which are plowed into whatever needs immediately after receipt by the US treasury (I believe every three months).
MOAB requires full air superiority and suppression of enemy air defenses to launch. Its not clear that N.K. is that soft a target.
Tossing a big bomb that needs to deploy a parachute, out the back of a slow-moving transport plane, is kind of risky otherwise.
The bluster is growing a bit tiresome, actually. We’ve seen shock and awe before, and it got us here, to more shock and awe.
You are almost certainly correct. Using MOAB on NK makes only sense for well defended nuclear locations. A strike on the uranium enrichment facilities of NK will place UF6 into the atmosphere where it will react chemically with water vapor to form UO2 and HF both very dangerous chemicals.
The first Korean war was at least as traumatizing to North Koreans; people tend to forget they endured constant civilian carpet bombing and threat of nuclear attack towards the end, and the armistice was never accompanied with a treaty of non-aggression, as pointed out by journalist Finian Cunningham.
China’s ‘red line’, since retracted from the Chinese daily Global Times, has been repeated in several including Counterpunch and is probably real news.
China makes clear it will not tolerate any threat to Northeast China from either the U.S. or N.K., to the point of a Chinese strike or invasion of N.K. being on the table.
The real prize here seems to be Trump-Kushner splitting China from N.K. and Russia as much as possible by making China act as an unreliable security partner. The Chinese seem to be vacillating from weak-kneed to soft-headed.
On the other hand, while China may be signalling willingness to shoot North Korea, the first rule of firearm safely is, be sure of your target and beyond. Beyond the Yalu River and North Korea lies the U.S./South Korea. China has big guns now; the temptation to complete the removal the the U.S. from the Asian mainland may also be a go, but they would need to stick with N.K. for best results.
Trump-Kushner may indeed be too used to their civilian business practices. Like where shorting a contractor or supplier to settle for only 80%-50% cash owed, or nothing at all. Its said to be not uncommon industry practice, but where Trump appeared only to do so where his businesses were failing, for the Kushners it was standard practice.
What were once Trumpians, whether in the U.S. or Russia and China, should clearly walk away from any deal compromising themselves. It is after all, part of the art of the deal, to walk away when the deal falls through.
If Trump fires a shot into North Korea, he legally ends the Armistice. The legal difference between N.K. and Syria, is that N.K. and the U.S. are still technically at war.
Seems more like Trump-Kushner are hoping to goose North Korea into taking the first shot.
N.K. has responded by saying it might fire at U.S. carriers pre-emptively.
One carrier strike group is quite powerful, but realistically at least three are needed to support South Korea in all-out war if China stands by North Korea. However China is exhibiting signs of cold feet, which only encourages the Americans.
a barrage of sunfire missiles could sink the carl vinson.
Never heard of the Sunfire. Do you perhaps mean the Sunburn? Or the Klub-S Sizzler?
N. Korea’s leaders aren’t crazy and so won’t start a war. The US president is a psychopath and very likely could. But N.Korea will still need to be blamed for shooting first so be prepared.
The most recent statement of Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi should be enough to hold back American’s belligerent provocations. If not, don’t be surprised when the Chinese occupy DPRK and help defend its territory against American and South Korean forces. Sound familiar ?
trump is a bully & he is bluffing, unless he wants to sacrifice an American city.