From military commanders on the Korean Peninsula to President Trump himself, US officials have been united since North Korea’s ICBM test with a single narrative, that the US could spring in to action and attack at any moment, and that the fact a war isn’t raging on the peninsula at this moment is solely due to the US having chosen not to attack quite yet.
But after a few days of uncharacteristic absence from public statements on the matter, Secretary of Defense James Mattis appears to be taking the opposite position, that the ICBM test doesn’t change anything or bring war closer, and that the US is committed to a “diplomatic effort.”
It’s hard to believe this is even the same administration making such wildly contradictory statements, as Trump has repeatedly excoriated the idea of diplomacy, insisting it’s the old, failed policy of the past, and that the US intends to see North Korea dealt with “rapidly,” and with “severe things.”
Mattis has always given a less hawkish impression on North Korea than the rest of the administration, however, openly admitting this is a war the US doesn’t want, and showing an unusual amount of realism about the harm that such a conflict would do to neighboring South Korea.
Still, the big question here is whether Mattis’ assessment is representative of American policy, or if he is simply the dissenter amid bellicose statements from everyone else, and wants to get his own position on the record before a calamitous war breaks out.
In Warsaw President Trump stated “I do not draw red lines”. Wrong. You recently drew a red line for Assad in Syria.
If he had a red line for Assad we would have been more careful and maybe found out for sure who used what gas .. No one can make me believe Assad committed this gas attack . Trump claims we have fake news and also fake intelligence . Obviously that is why the United States finds themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time . It is proving imposable to run any kind of a war with fake news and fake intelligence . As long as we have the deep state enforcing the new world orders this is the kind of trouble we are going to get into . Trump has to cleanup the deep state with their fake news and fake intelligence before we head into any more NWO wars
“…the US is committed to a “diplomatic effort.””
During the campaign, Trump relied heavily on his (self-promoted) reputation as a “deal-maker” and that he’d use this “skill” in the diplomatic world to de-escalate conflicts, thereby saving US lives and saving money – leading to making Yuge amounts of money on subsequent “deals.”
For someone who touts himself and ran as the epitome of the “deal-maker,” he seems enamored with the military hardware that he’s been given control over and loath to use his “deal-making skill” with our adversaries. Is he perhaps afraid that he’ll tarnish his image and fail to navigate the world diplomatic stage (as he’s proving now) unable to get what he wants…a failure?
His characterization of “diplomacy” – “the old, failed policy of the past” – and his embracing of global belligerence indicates to me, at least, that his campaign promises to use “deal-making” (talking) instead of this outdated and failed policy of “talking” (what is diplomacy if not talking?) were disingenuous, at a minimum.
I was happy to hear the mad dog take a more thoughtful position . You know he has a lot of experience in how destructive wars can be
Mattis is more interested in war with Iran.
It is now clear that anyone in the Trump Administration who opposes immediate war making – such as Mattis and Tillerson – are being marginalized and reduced to the simple function of spokesperson who occasionally issues mollifying statements.
This confusion is deliberate, of course, to keep the rest of the world guessing while the US goes ahead with its plans for war.
Frankly, I wonder how long Tillerson and Mattis will last in the Administration. They may be gone by the end of the year, replaced by persons more amenable to the Deep State’s plans.