Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, marking Pyongyang’s second missile test of Biden’s presidency. South Korea said that projectiles were launched from the North but did not specify which type of missiles were used.
On Tuesday, the White House said North Korea launched short-range missiles over the weekend. But US officials downplayed the weekend test since the missiles that were used are not under US sanctions.
If Suga’s claims are true, that North Korea launched ballistic missiles, this means the latest test used missiles that are targeted by UN sanctions. US media outlets are portraying Thursday’s test as a “major provocation,” but it is likely just a reaction to the US and South Korea resuming military drills and recent threatening comments from US officials.
From Seoul last Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said US and South Korean forces are ready to “fight tonight.” His comments came after Pyongyang denounced Washington and Seoul’s decision to resume military exercises after a one-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Biden administration is currently reviewing its North Korea policy. But in the meantime, Biden officials are calling for a “denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula, which is a non-starter for talks with Pyongyang. A realistic approach that was explored by the Trump administration would be to offer sanctions relief in exchange for a freeze in North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.
“US media outlets are portraying Thursday’s test as a “major provocation”
While pretending and practicing attacking the North isn’t.
Thank goodness the all knowing all great power that is the usa, does not do the same thing, and if it did, it does it for peace. Salute the troops…Or Else!
W’ere just kiddie gangs in urban city streets…Or when your feeling really down, we’re just chump chimp clans squabbling over what isnt ours to begin with….thank god im an atheist or this would really be depressing,though i do lean towards buddhsism…
“thank god im an atheist”
He had a plan for all of us. 🙂
“The US acts to prevent another WWII.” They’re always killing people to “avoid another WWII,” though it often looks like the US is wanting to start a nuclear war…
Can’t believe the audacity. You have no right to do anything while we starve your people and surround your country with military bases.
Japan’s problem.
And China/SK’s. I think they’re less likely to start a war in their own homes than the US is.
BFD. The cost of the launches probably equaled the GDP of NK for half of the year. It is more for the propaganda machine that feeds information to the NK population.
This website’s readers under Trump: “Trump is so dangerous to threaten NK.”
Biden is doing the same… The overlap is considerable.
I don’t give Trump credit for many things, but he was the first US president to visit North Korea and meet directly with its ruler. It looked like he might be about to make big changes there for about ten minutes.
Then he didn’t. Everyone wants to blame Pompeo or Bolton for that, but the buck stops with the president. So if “C” is average, he gets a C+, maybe even a B-. Biden seems to be moving back down into “C” territory, although he at least did dismiss the missile test as a nothingburger instead of having a public cow over it.
Threatening obliteration is dangerous. He did that with Iran too. Weekly it seemed.
http://oneworld.press/?module=articles&action=view&id=1973
The Rise of the Eurasian Century.
http://english.www.gov.cn/statecouncil/wangyi/202103/25/content_WS605bde6ac6d0719374afb61c.html
I anticipate Africa, the Middle East, and Malaysia will play significant roles as the USD becomes muted, and by extension, the US military–we hope.
I sense Europe will largely remain a tourist attraction a few short years after currencies reset.
North America and Australia appear like also-rans.
https://www.goldmoney.com/research/goldmoney-insights/biden-s-last-throw-of-geopolitical-dice#_edn1
Australia just supplies resources. I dunno what sort of economy it could develop, but not everyone can be Japan. Africa also just supplies resources, and babies (it’s where the world’s population growth is).
What about South America?
Banana Republics will likely not outlive their uselessness: Some energy resources; elevated populations and increasing poverty; significant mining operations; “democracies at a premium.”
A typical sovereign.
When global currencies start collapsing and the Energy Cliff in full mode, it will be a long, uncomfortable road to optimism.
Japan is homogenous. Perhaps that covers many areas. That doesn’t necessarily speak of extended successes.
Australia is resource-based, as you mentioned. When I read stories about desert-based solar panel projects with intentions to export this energy to Singapore, I’m struck by something awkward. Is Australia about resources and real estate? America without the energy resources.
I read of a wild project to build wind turbines in Greenland, to export energy to Europe.
Japan has no resources unless it can deep sea mine. So, it’s at risk of being cut off, unless it retains some advantage over others. Maybe its homogeneity and labour force are unique assets.
The only case I’m aware that a company is developing deep sea mining techniques or interests.
https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/234004/1/TGG-Greenland.pdf
How fortunate are the developers to acknowledge to investors that cold air, wind, and rain will never set this project asunder.
Perhaps it’s in the blade and turbine design.
At about 1:10, the anchors reveal that the US is importing 538,000 barrels of oil per day from Russia.
They never went into details as to whether the transactions were in dollars, rubles, euros or another currency or trade.
If people realized the US is a net energy importer, that knowledge might lead to roiled domestic financial markets.
All that and the US has no qualms about attempting regime change in Moscow.
Nautilus claimed to be close to a trial for deep sea mining but went bankrupt. I hadnt heard of the Metals Company. I had heard that Japan and China have their own projects, but maybe that’s false. I have a book on deep sea mining potential from decades ago; it has been a hot topic for a long time, but maybe it’s too difficult.
The potential explains China’s interest in ocean territory and disregard for US created boundaries. But China is also pursuing land resources; so, maybe it’s only a possibility.
A realistic approach that was explored by the Trump administration
would be to offer sanctions relief in exchange for a freeze in North
Korea’s nuclear arsenal.
Exactly, the Singapore Joint Statement of Trump & Kim called for a first normalization of relations .
“1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. “. . .. . .here