Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has continued with his same public narrative on North Korea over the weekend, insisting that the US is committed to trying to solve the situation diplomatically, and will remain committed “until the first bomb drops.”
Not only that, but Tillerson says he feels that President Trump supports his diplomatic efforts and wants to “avoid violence” in dealing with North Korea. President Trump has not responded since these latest comments.
In the past, however, every Tillerson comment on North Korea has been met with a sharp public rebuke by Trump, who has repeatedly condemned diplomacy as having failed, mocked Tillerson for “wasting his time” on trying to negotiate, and is perpetually talking about totally destroying North Korea with “fire and fury.”
Tillerson says Trump’s comments are meant to “motivate action” on the Korean Peninsula, and not to undermine him, even though Trump has at times specifically addressed comments at Tillerson, harshly criticizing diplomatic efforts and promising the world will “find out soon” what the US strategy really is, which doesn’t make sense if the US strategy really was diplomacy.
What diplomacy is there between the US and NK?
It’s a secret – Trump doesn’t want our enemies, like North Korea – or maybe CNN and NBC, to know what we’re going to do.
The picture says it all. Tillerson, despite the fact that he’s a corporatist tool, is undercut by the mindless, fact-less Trumpsters. What a melodrama this all is! Heaven help us, because the real PTB wont!
“…mindless, fact-less, and feckless Trump.”
There’s only one adult in that picture, and it isn’t Trump.
An adult with no spine. Resign an expose the “moron”.
“Diplomacy” to Tillerson, Trump, and all American fanatics running our government of either party, means that the other side first agrees to every demand we make of them and then and only then will we agree to talk with them.
That’s right, and North Korea will be crushed if they do not stop making nuclear weapons. If they want to live, they must stop, or die in agony.
Will the US stop calling for regime change if North Korea stops making nuclear weapons?
We don’t know, but it would be incorrect to assume the US would press so hard for regime change in a cooperating North Korea, because of the regional issues, this is where South Korea and China could help the most. It’s a moot future if Kim refuses to back down.
the Problem is that NK held out the olive branch made an agreement STUCK by that agreement and the US changed the agreement. They are watching this President do exactly the same thing to Iran but also to Allies in the NAFTA. The US has a long history of breaking its word! basically they do not trust them!
Well Libya agreed to cooperate and complied with all our requirements and then we proceeded to create a regime change in which the Libyan leader who agreed to play ball with us was tortured and killed when we elected to make a regime change there, which action does not generate trust. Now we are repudiating a solemn and public agreement made with Iran a few years ago. Of course we don’t have to justify any action we take because we are stronger than any other country so we can do, and have done, whatever we want to do. We do not have to worry about making the right decision, because we have the power to make whatever decision we take, be the right decision. The downside to all this is that, well if you didn’t burn your hand and did not feel pain when you touch a hot stove, you could just continue to leave your hand on that stove until it sizzled. But some feel creating trust is not necessary if you can create fear and eliminate those around you.
Diplomacy until the first bomb drops.
I dont understand what that means.
that should be simple to understand . after the 1st bomb drops more bombs will likely follow .. He does not say who drops the first bomb ? China is the only country that says they will side against the country that drops the 1 st bomb . That sounds like diplomacy .
Tillerson is suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome”. He refuses to listen to anything that comes out of the moron in chief’s mouth. “Motivate action”? Holy s**t, he has it bad.
“UNTIL.” Sounds like he sees war as inevitable. Unfortunately, this time the victim can hit back.
Tillerson is useless, but I repeat myself…
Just like Pearl Harbor again, but different.
Clausewitz famously explained that war is a continuation of politics with additional means. The politics is not supposed to stop. War is not something else different and apart from politics. It is just adding an extra means to the ongoing political confrontation between sovereigns.
The talking needs to continue after the first bomb drops. It is very important to talk then, to gain any advantage available from dropping bombs.
Any “advantage” gained from dropping bombs will be negated by an immediate attack on Seoul with conventional weaponry.
Also, what’s to stop the North Koreans from secretly placing a nuke on a fishing trawler and sailing it to some US port city? Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The cost of attacking NK will be enormous. Seems like the PTB are all for it, though.
Yes. Resort to war would be really stupid for a whole host of reasons. Not even considering the issues of Korea, we already have our plate full of wars we are losing. Further over extension would be foolish.
But if we are going to fight, at least we must not see that as an excuse to stop talking and just fight mindlessly without any possible end in sight.
And yes, the PTB do seem strangely determined on this foolishness.