Various annually scheduled US wargames in and around the Korean Peninsula almost always provoke an increase in tension for their duration. The upcoming Ulchi-Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise is particularly ill-timed on that front, coming amid dangerously high tensions already.
The exercise, which begins Monday, will last 10 days, and involve 20,500 foreign troops in a simulated defense of South Korea from an invasion by North Korea. The exercise is the largest annual computerized command-and-control operation in the world. North Korea has termed the decision to hold the exercise a “catastrophe.”
17,500 US soldiers will participate, along with troops from Australia, New Zealand, multiple NATO member nations, and Colombia. US officials say the exercise is designed to “increase readiness,” though again this comes after weeks of claiming that US troops were already ready for war with North Korea at a moment’s notice.
US officials have rightly noted that the exercise was planned and announced far in advance, but that still doesn’t change the fact that right now it’s going to be seen as a huge provocation, and is likely to provoke another North Korean response, putting the two sides back on a course for war after a few days of relative calm.
Let me state from the outset: I wouldn’t want Un to be the president of my country. Then again, I am not sure I’d want Trump to be my president, either. He sure is better than Hillary, but that’s not much of an achievement: I can’t think of many people who’d be worse than her.
Reading a lot of articles about US-NK standoff I can’t help asking myself, do they come from another planet? Here on Earth Un is in his own country, thousands of miles away from the US. Last time North Korea made an aggressive move was in 1950, 67 years ago. In sharp contrast, the US made a lot of aggressive moves since then. To avoid a long list, here is an example: right now the US troops are in Syria in violation of the international law. I don’t recall North Korea sending its warships close to the US shores, or conducting military drills anywhere near the US. Yes, Un acquired nukes, but after seeing what happened to Saddam or Gaddafi, who were naïve enough to have no WMDs, Un is right to believe that having WMDs is his only possible insurance policy. Why don’t we stop provocations and leave him alone?
I agree with you although I’am very pleased we have Trump for president . I would like If Russia would offer the United States and S Korea to come to some place in Russia to play their war games so as not to irritate Kim . Russia and China could even play with them and everybody might even learn some important things .
Are you serious ? South Korea exists for one reason. The U.S.
Kim is making an issue of nothing for his own reasons.
Paid actor Trump is doing what everyone sensed that war-witch Hillary would do. So, as our self-absorbed public can sense the right, maybe it’s prime time for us to steer them right, even get them running for daylight.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/138eda9ade024e92e4749d14a15fb07b38d2ca553511b069930cc9816e7353a6.jpg
Alt-right and Alt-left — Much in common
(1) Both are at the low end of educated middle-class, just above impoverished lower-half of society.
(2) Both yell and do things to prevent others from speaking,
(3) Both push, shove and aggressively assert their opinion and rights.
(4) Both use force to overcome what they perceive as evil.
(5) Both are self-righteous claiming they are right, when the use of force establishes they are anything but right.
(6) Both feel no guilt buying the cheapest fruits and vegetables, thereby enriching themselves upon the misery of 5 year old migrant workers.