Trump the Nobel contender: North Korea
Dette er en fortsættelse af tråden Tell us again the one about Trump the peacemaker.
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1margd
Interesting analysis from NZ of Kim Jung Un's strategy--more subtle than I would have thought--and the risks for US and regional interests, if not Trump.
What Kim Jong Un Wants From Trump
VAN JACKSON* | April 30, 2018
The United States is playing North Korea’s game. Here’s why that’s dangerous...
...Without a serious public debate, Trump could saunter into a meeting with Kim and unwittingly trade away American interests that were long assumed to be important but simply never discussed...
...How acceptable, for instance, is a peace treaty if North Korea makes only symbolic progress toward denuclearization? Is an arms control solution—which would leave North Korea the ability to strike regional targets but not U.S. territory—acceptable? Is American strategy in Asia—which necessitates a forward military presence in places like South Korea—more or less of a priority than achieving denuclearization? In short, what alternative futures in Korea most and least serve U.S. interests? There’s no sign that Trump has wrestled with these questions.
And even if Americans disagree about the answers to questions like these—and I suspect they do—the absence of any meaningful discussion about them makes it entirely likely that Trump and Kim reach a deal that’s good for each of them personally but not good for the United States...
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/30/what-kim-jong-un-wants-from-t...
*Van Jackson (@WonkVJ) is senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington and defence & strategy fellow at the Centre for Strategic Studies in New Zealand. He is a former Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, and from 2009-2014 served as a strategist and policy adviser in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He’s also the author of Rival Reputations, which examined historical patterns of coercive bargaining between the United States and North Korea.
What Kim Jong Un Wants From Trump
VAN JACKSON* | April 30, 2018
The United States is playing North Korea’s game. Here’s why that’s dangerous...
...Without a serious public debate, Trump could saunter into a meeting with Kim and unwittingly trade away American interests that were long assumed to be important but simply never discussed...
...How acceptable, for instance, is a peace treaty if North Korea makes only symbolic progress toward denuclearization? Is an arms control solution—which would leave North Korea the ability to strike regional targets but not U.S. territory—acceptable? Is American strategy in Asia—which necessitates a forward military presence in places like South Korea—more or less of a priority than achieving denuclearization? In short, what alternative futures in Korea most and least serve U.S. interests? There’s no sign that Trump has wrestled with these questions.
And even if Americans disagree about the answers to questions like these—and I suspect they do—the absence of any meaningful discussion about them makes it entirely likely that Trump and Kim reach a deal that’s good for each of them personally but not good for the United States...
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/30/what-kim-jong-un-wants-from-t...
*Van Jackson (@WonkVJ) is senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington and defence & strategy fellow at the Centre for Strategic Studies in New Zealand. He is a former Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, and from 2009-2014 served as a strategist and policy adviser in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He’s also the author of Rival Reputations, which examined historical patterns of coercive bargaining between the United States and North Korea.
2margd
House Republicans nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
Ryan Nobles | May 2, 2018
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/02/politics/nobel-peace-prize-republicans/index.html
Ryan Nobles | May 2, 2018
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/02/politics/nobel-peace-prize-republicans/index.html
3madpoet
It is easy to be skeptical, and North Korea's sudden about face gives us plenty of reason to be, but we should also remember the extreme skepticism that Gorbachev's Glasnost and Perestroika was met with, and where that ultimately lead...
There is evidence that North Korea is negotiating now because China has cut them off. Trade has dropped dramatically in the last year. The party is over, and Kim realizes it. Trump had little to do with it.
What is American strategy in East Asia? It isn't a surprise that Trump doesn't seem to have a long-term strategy, but does anyone in Washington? Russia is not a threat-- it's barely a presence in the Pacific, these days. So the only real opponent to U.S. interests is China. But there is no reason for China and the U.S. to be enemies. Their two points of difference are the South China Sea and Taiwan. Does the South China Sea matter to American interests? Is it vital? I can't see any reasonable argument that it is. As for Taiwan, the situation has been stable there for 70 years, and there is no reason to think that will change anytime soon. China and Taiwan do billions of dollars in trade, Taiwan has a modern military capable of defending the island from invasion (or at least making invasion very costly) and China is not eager to attack Taiwan, knowing that hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians (in Taiwan) would die in the war. As long as Taiwan does not try to change the status quo by declaring independence, China will not attack the island. (If they do, however, war is certain)
Let's look at the other side of the coin: 'What does China want?' First, they want to control the nearby seas: South China Sea, East China Sea, and the Yellow Sea. But what does that mean? If China doesn't interfere with commerce or navigation in those seas, then Chinese control does not necessarily harm American interests. Secondly, China wants re-unification with Taiwan. But that does not mean immediate re-unification, or violent annexation. If the status quo is maintained, Beijing does not appear to be in any hurry. On both of these issues, negotiation and compromise is quite possible.
If the U.S. tries to 'contain' China, however, it will only re-affirm the hard line view in Beijing that China must control its neighbouring waters and re-unite Taiwan with the mainland for China's own protection. No country likes to be encircled by enemies, and China is no exception. It would not be safe for China to allow that to happen. 'Containment' will only lead to more suspicion and paranoia, on both sides.
There is evidence that North Korea is negotiating now because China has cut them off. Trade has dropped dramatically in the last year. The party is over, and Kim realizes it. Trump had little to do with it.
What is American strategy in East Asia? It isn't a surprise that Trump doesn't seem to have a long-term strategy, but does anyone in Washington? Russia is not a threat-- it's barely a presence in the Pacific, these days. So the only real opponent to U.S. interests is China. But there is no reason for China and the U.S. to be enemies. Their two points of difference are the South China Sea and Taiwan. Does the South China Sea matter to American interests? Is it vital? I can't see any reasonable argument that it is. As for Taiwan, the situation has been stable there for 70 years, and there is no reason to think that will change anytime soon. China and Taiwan do billions of dollars in trade, Taiwan has a modern military capable of defending the island from invasion (or at least making invasion very costly) and China is not eager to attack Taiwan, knowing that hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians (in Taiwan) would die in the war. As long as Taiwan does not try to change the status quo by declaring independence, China will not attack the island. (If they do, however, war is certain)
Let's look at the other side of the coin: 'What does China want?' First, they want to control the nearby seas: South China Sea, East China Sea, and the Yellow Sea. But what does that mean? If China doesn't interfere with commerce or navigation in those seas, then Chinese control does not necessarily harm American interests. Secondly, China wants re-unification with Taiwan. But that does not mean immediate re-unification, or violent annexation. If the status quo is maintained, Beijing does not appear to be in any hurry. On both of these issues, negotiation and compromise is quite possible.
If the U.S. tries to 'contain' China, however, it will only re-affirm the hard line view in Beijing that China must control its neighbouring waters and re-unite Taiwan with the mainland for China's own protection. No country likes to be encircled by enemies, and China is no exception. It would not be safe for China to allow that to happen. 'Containment' will only lead to more suspicion and paranoia, on both sides.
4pmackey
>3 madpoet: You make some good points here. While I personally don't like Trump, I'm willing to concede he may have had a part in this. But as you point out, China has cut off North Korea and that, I think, was their last tenuous lifeline. There is so much going on here that Americans have trouble seeing because we tend to be myopic. I think Kim Jung Un has assessed the situation clearly and decided on a course of action that best benefits him. He effectively out-maneuvered Trump and gained the advantage. It's almost like he took a play out of Trump's playbook.
5DugsBooks
I take exception to Trump being touted as a exclusive prime mover in any manipulation of N.K. The concerted efforts/sanctions of many nations, including China, have -on the surface at least- brought about a chance for a better/safer world.
God what awful punctuation but I am too lazy to change it.
God what awful punctuation but I am too lazy to change it.
6margd
Whatever the White House Says, Seoul Thinks Trump’s Desperate to Pull Out Troops. Kim Probably Thinks So, Too
Donald Kirk | 05.04.18
U.S. troops in South Korea would be a mere speed bump if the North invaded, but their fight would commit Washington to engage. So Kim wants them out. And so, it seems, does Trump.
...article in The New York Times saying President Donald Trump had ordered the Pentagon to report back on the possibility of scaling down the number of U.S. troops from the current level of 28,500 to a much reduced level.
Denials from Washington that Trump had ever made such a request were met (in Seoul) with disbelief.
...For the Americans, the core issue is to eliminate the threat of Kim’s nuclear weapons and missiles, which theoretically could reach New York or Washington. But for the South Koreans, the threat of North Korean intimidation, if not invasion, is quite different. Having worried for years about the price they might have to pay in a war, South Koreans have now begun to worry about the price of peace.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/whatever-the-white-house-says-seoul-thinks-trumps-...
Donald Kirk | 05.04.18
U.S. troops in South Korea would be a mere speed bump if the North invaded, but their fight would commit Washington to engage. So Kim wants them out. And so, it seems, does Trump.
...article in The New York Times saying President Donald Trump had ordered the Pentagon to report back on the possibility of scaling down the number of U.S. troops from the current level of 28,500 to a much reduced level.
Denials from Washington that Trump had ever made such a request were met (in Seoul) with disbelief.
...For the Americans, the core issue is to eliminate the threat of Kim’s nuclear weapons and missiles, which theoretically could reach New York or Washington. But for the South Koreans, the threat of North Korean intimidation, if not invasion, is quite different. Having worried for years about the price they might have to pay in a war, South Koreans have now begun to worry about the price of peace.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/whatever-the-white-house-says-seoul-thinks-trumps-...
7madpoet
>6 margd: One thing Americans may not be aware of is that South Korea pays 55% of the non-personnel costs of having American soldiers there: more than $1 billion/year. So it is much cheaper to have the soldiers stationed there than in, say, Afghanistan, where the U.S. pays the full cost. Meanwhile, South Korea buys more than $3 billion/year (on average) in military equipment from the U.S. Also, the huge presence of American brands in S.K. has more than a little to do with the long U.S. military presence there; it is probably worth billions of dollars to American companies.
There may be many reasons for the U.S. to take their troops home from S.K., but economics is not one of them.
There may be many reasons for the U.S. to take their troops home from S.K., but economics is not one of them.
8margd
Illegal, isn't it, for GOVERNMENT to spy on American citizens without due process, e.g., court order signed by a judge??
Clowns Trump and Netanyahu put at risk more moderate Iranians (President Hassan Rouhani) as well as US credibility in negotiating such deals in future (North Korea):
Revealed: Trump team hired spy firm for ‘dirty ops’ on Iran arms deal
Israeli agency told to find incriminating material on Obama diplomats who negotiated deal with Tehran
Mark Townsend and Julian Borger | 5 May 2018
...Trump’s 12 May deadline to either scrap or continue to abide by the international deal limiting Iran’s nuclear programme.
...officials linked to Trump’s team contacted investigators days after Trump visited Tel Aviv a year ago, his first foreign tour as US president. Trump promised Netanyahu that Iran would never have nuclear weapons and suggested that the Iranians thought they could “do what they want” since negotiating the nuclear deal in 2015. A source with details of the “dirty tricks campaign” said: “The idea was that people acting for Trump would discredit those who were pivotal in selling the deal, making it easier to pull out of it.”
...dig into the personal lives and political careers
...contact prominent Iranian Americans as well as pro-deal journalists – from the New York Times, MSNBC television, the Atlantic, Vox website and Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper among others – who had frequent contact with Rhodes and Kahl in an attempt to establish whether they had violated any protocols by sharing sensitive intelligence.
...smear campaign wanted to establish if Rhodes was among those who backed a request by Susan Rice, Obama’s final national security adviser, to unmask the identities of Trump transition officials caught up in the surveillance of foreign targets.
...not clear how much work was actually undertaken
...known if the black ops constituted only a strand of a wider Trump-Netanyahu collaboration to undermine the deal or if investigators targeted other individuals such as John Kerry, the lead American signatory to the deal...
...(Friday)...was the second time in around two months that Kerry had met foreign minister Javad Zarif to apparently strategise over rescuing a pact they spent years negotiating during the Obama administration...
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/05/trump-team-hired-spy-firm-dirty-...
Clowns Trump and Netanyahu put at risk more moderate Iranians (President Hassan Rouhani) as well as US credibility in negotiating such deals in future (North Korea):
Revealed: Trump team hired spy firm for ‘dirty ops’ on Iran arms deal
Israeli agency told to find incriminating material on Obama diplomats who negotiated deal with Tehran
Mark Townsend and Julian Borger | 5 May 2018
...Trump’s 12 May deadline to either scrap or continue to abide by the international deal limiting Iran’s nuclear programme.
...officials linked to Trump’s team contacted investigators days after Trump visited Tel Aviv a year ago, his first foreign tour as US president. Trump promised Netanyahu that Iran would never have nuclear weapons and suggested that the Iranians thought they could “do what they want” since negotiating the nuclear deal in 2015. A source with details of the “dirty tricks campaign” said: “The idea was that people acting for Trump would discredit those who were pivotal in selling the deal, making it easier to pull out of it.”
...dig into the personal lives and political careers
...contact prominent Iranian Americans as well as pro-deal journalists – from the New York Times, MSNBC television, the Atlantic, Vox website and Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper among others – who had frequent contact with Rhodes and Kahl in an attempt to establish whether they had violated any protocols by sharing sensitive intelligence.
...smear campaign wanted to establish if Rhodes was among those who backed a request by Susan Rice, Obama’s final national security adviser, to unmask the identities of Trump transition officials caught up in the surveillance of foreign targets.
...not clear how much work was actually undertaken
...known if the black ops constituted only a strand of a wider Trump-Netanyahu collaboration to undermine the deal or if investigators targeted other individuals such as John Kerry, the lead American signatory to the deal...
...(Friday)...was the second time in around two months that Kerry had met foreign minister Javad Zarif to apparently strategise over rescuing a pact they spent years negotiating during the Obama administration...
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/05/trump-team-hired-spy-firm-dirty-...
9margd
Something’s going on at North Korea’s nuclear test site. Maybe it really is closing.
Anna Fifield and Adam Taylor | May 10, 2018
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/somethings-going-on-at-north-koreas-nuclear...
______________________________________________________________
Radar reveals details of mountain collapse after North Korea's most recent nuclear test
May 10, 2018, University of California - Berkeley
T. Wang el al., "The rise, collapse, and compaction of Mt. Mantap from the 3 September 2017 North Korean nuclear test," Science (2018). http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/05/09/science.aar7230
https://phys.org/news/2018-05-radar-reveals-mountain-collapse-north.html#jCp
_______________________________________________________________
Anna Fifield and Adam Taylor | May 10, 2018
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/somethings-going-on-at-north-koreas-nuclear...
______________________________________________________________
Radar reveals details of mountain collapse after North Korea's most recent nuclear test
May 10, 2018, University of California - Berkeley
T. Wang el al., "The rise, collapse, and compaction of Mt. Mantap from the 3 September 2017 North Korean nuclear test," Science (2018). http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/05/09/science.aar7230
https://phys.org/news/2018-05-radar-reveals-mountain-collapse-north.html#jCp
_______________________________________________________________
10margd
Why are we taking Donald Trump’s Korea diplomacy seriously?
All he does is lie and break promises. This will be no different.
Matthew Yglesias | May 14, 2018
...there are at least three big ways this could end up going badly:
Trump could make a big show of a decisive diplomatic breakthrough at some strategically opportune moment in the fall to try to gain the upper hand in the midterm elections, only for the actual details to prove meaningless when there’s time for analysis later.
Trump could sell out American interests by agreeing to an unfavorable deal, simply for the sake of the positive PR of a major breakthrough — with Republicans in Congress backing him up out of partisanship and nobody able to do anything about it for years.
Trump could show up in Singapore, discover that Kim is not in fact interested in the kind of thorough disarmament that Trump has in mind, and then, feeling miffed by the North Koreans, embrace National Security Adviser John Bolton’s preference for an unprovoked American military strike.
Instead of talking about these risks, however, the mainstream press — Time, the New York Times, CNN, etc. — seems obsessed with the possibility that maybe Trump will deliver a historic diplomatic breakthrough with Pyongyang and then not receive the level of credit and adulation he deserves.
I’m happy to admit that it is, at least in theory, possible that a vainglorious, dishonest, ignorant, and corrupt president who is already lying about his own diplomatic initiatives will shock the world by delivering something fantastic. But Trump has been in the public eye for decades, has a well-deserved reputation as a braggart and a liar, and deserves to be met with nothing but skepticism.
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/14/17343860/donald-trump-korea-diplomacy
____________________________________________________________
Robert E Kelly @Robert_E_Kelly (Professor of Political Science; Pusan Nat'l U)
5/14/2018
In just one day (!), here are four stories which reveal how risky it is to have Trump running the free world's diplomacy with N Korea: https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/995964634627686400 …; https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/995800321765949440 …; https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/995881081436962816 …; and https://www.vox.com/2018/5/14/17343860/donald-trump-korea-diplomacy …. I keep saying this: cancel the summit. /1
It is not worth the risk. There is a 70% chance it will be a bust, which the Norks win by default, bc they get the pictures of Kim, an orwellian gangster tyrant, meeting POTUS on equal terms, complete w/ Trump smiling and laughing during it, bc he doesn't care about the moral /2
responsibility his office carries. Scarier, is the much-higher-than-normal possibility that it really goes wrong. I would put this at 20%. Kim and Trump, both accomplished authoritarian liars and bullies unaccustomed to being contradicted, could start swearing at each other /3
like last year and storm out, giving Bolton has long-sought excuse to push for strikes. @mattyglesias is exactly right to say (in the final link listed above) that "instead of talking about these risks, however, the mainstream press - Time, the New York Times, CNN, etc - seems /4
obsessed with the possibility that maybe Trump will deliver a historic diplomatic breakthrough with Pyongyang and then not receive the level of credit and adulation he deserves... Back in the real world, meanwhile, Trump isn’t a master strategist keeping the North Koreans off /5
balance. He’s an erratic guy with poor impulse control and little understanding of issues who does things like blurt out that Americans held captive in North Korea and sentenced to serve in labor camps received 'excellent' treatment from the regime that used them as hostages."/6
Exactly. I wish I'd said it that well. Finally, that leaves only 10% for the great deal Trump keeps promising us. I want that deal as much as you do, and I'd love to raise that likelihood percentage, but seriously, do you think a guy as disorganized, unfocused, and ignorant /7
The more I think about these terms, the worse they seem.
There’s no way Trump can agree to a deal this weak.
Hawks will lose their mind. They’ll fill the streets of Seoul.
This deal totally undercuts Trump’s insistence on ‘strength’ and not getting played.
No way this will go thru
as Trump can get that? And indeed, the outline of the deal that is emerging is pretty bad: https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/995868948796129280* …. I am trying hard not be a recalcitrant hawk here, but diplomacy itself is not a goal in itself. Stop saying Trump deserves a Nobel, just bc he is willing to meet /8
KJU. ANY US president could have met a NK leader for the last 5 decades if he had wanted to. WE were the ones who didn't want a summit, bc of concerns it would legitimize 1984-NK and further entrench the inter-Korean division. Similarly, a deal is not a goal in itself, nor is /9
a peace treaty. (Peninsular deterrence is currently stable; a peace treaty is really about recognition of NK). Our real goal is for N Korea to change - to be less horrific, especially to its own long-suffering people. If the Singapore summit doesn't get that,it's not worth it./10
We have a lot of good cards to play, and we can get a lot more than we heard about today. We don't 'have' to do this (just like last year, we didn't 'have' to strike.) Singapore does 'need' to be success no matter what. If we're going to recognize NK, possibly withdraw THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) /11
_____________________________________________________________________________________
* @SecPompeo says sanctions relief dependent on
North Korea getting rid of its chemical biological weapons program (CBW), &
no longer holding America at risk via its “nuclear weapons arsenal” & missiles @FaceTheNation
margaret brennan @margbrennan
9:57 AM - 13 May 2018
All he does is lie and break promises. This will be no different.
Matthew Yglesias | May 14, 2018
...there are at least three big ways this could end up going badly:
Trump could make a big show of a decisive diplomatic breakthrough at some strategically opportune moment in the fall to try to gain the upper hand in the midterm elections, only for the actual details to prove meaningless when there’s time for analysis later.
Trump could sell out American interests by agreeing to an unfavorable deal, simply for the sake of the positive PR of a major breakthrough — with Republicans in Congress backing him up out of partisanship and nobody able to do anything about it for years.
Trump could show up in Singapore, discover that Kim is not in fact interested in the kind of thorough disarmament that Trump has in mind, and then, feeling miffed by the North Koreans, embrace National Security Adviser John Bolton’s preference for an unprovoked American military strike.
Instead of talking about these risks, however, the mainstream press — Time, the New York Times, CNN, etc. — seems obsessed with the possibility that maybe Trump will deliver a historic diplomatic breakthrough with Pyongyang and then not receive the level of credit and adulation he deserves.
I’m happy to admit that it is, at least in theory, possible that a vainglorious, dishonest, ignorant, and corrupt president who is already lying about his own diplomatic initiatives will shock the world by delivering something fantastic. But Trump has been in the public eye for decades, has a well-deserved reputation as a braggart and a liar, and deserves to be met with nothing but skepticism.
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/14/17343860/donald-trump-korea-diplomacy
____________________________________________________________
Robert E Kelly @Robert_E_Kelly (Professor of Political Science; Pusan Nat'l U)
5/14/2018
In just one day (!), here are four stories which reveal how risky it is to have Trump running the free world's diplomacy with N Korea: https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/995964634627686400 …; https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/995800321765949440 …; https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/995881081436962816 …; and https://www.vox.com/2018/5/14/17343860/donald-trump-korea-diplomacy …. I keep saying this: cancel the summit. /1
It is not worth the risk. There is a 70% chance it will be a bust, which the Norks win by default, bc they get the pictures of Kim, an orwellian gangster tyrant, meeting POTUS on equal terms, complete w/ Trump smiling and laughing during it, bc he doesn't care about the moral /2
responsibility his office carries. Scarier, is the much-higher-than-normal possibility that it really goes wrong. I would put this at 20%. Kim and Trump, both accomplished authoritarian liars and bullies unaccustomed to being contradicted, could start swearing at each other /3
like last year and storm out, giving Bolton has long-sought excuse to push for strikes. @mattyglesias is exactly right to say (in the final link listed above) that "instead of talking about these risks, however, the mainstream press - Time, the New York Times, CNN, etc - seems /4
obsessed with the possibility that maybe Trump will deliver a historic diplomatic breakthrough with Pyongyang and then not receive the level of credit and adulation he deserves... Back in the real world, meanwhile, Trump isn’t a master strategist keeping the North Koreans off /5
balance. He’s an erratic guy with poor impulse control and little understanding of issues who does things like blurt out that Americans held captive in North Korea and sentenced to serve in labor camps received 'excellent' treatment from the regime that used them as hostages."/6
Exactly. I wish I'd said it that well. Finally, that leaves only 10% for the great deal Trump keeps promising us. I want that deal as much as you do, and I'd love to raise that likelihood percentage, but seriously, do you think a guy as disorganized, unfocused, and ignorant /7
The more I think about these terms, the worse they seem.
There’s no way Trump can agree to a deal this weak.
Hawks will lose their mind. They’ll fill the streets of Seoul.
This deal totally undercuts Trump’s insistence on ‘strength’ and not getting played.
No way this will go thru
as Trump can get that? And indeed, the outline of the deal that is emerging is pretty bad: https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/995868948796129280* …. I am trying hard not be a recalcitrant hawk here, but diplomacy itself is not a goal in itself. Stop saying Trump deserves a Nobel, just bc he is willing to meet /8
KJU. ANY US president could have met a NK leader for the last 5 decades if he had wanted to. WE were the ones who didn't want a summit, bc of concerns it would legitimize 1984-NK and further entrench the inter-Korean division. Similarly, a deal is not a goal in itself, nor is /9
a peace treaty. (Peninsular deterrence is currently stable; a peace treaty is really about recognition of NK). Our real goal is for N Korea to change - to be less horrific, especially to its own long-suffering people. If the Singapore summit doesn't get that,it's not worth it./10
We have a lot of good cards to play, and we can get a lot more than we heard about today. We don't 'have' to do this (just like last year, we didn't 'have' to strike.) Singapore does 'need' to be success no matter what. If we're going to recognize NK, possibly withdraw THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) /11
_____________________________________________________________________________________
* @SecPompeo says sanctions relief dependent on
North Korea getting rid of its chemical biological weapons program (CBW), &
no longer holding America at risk via its “nuclear weapons arsenal” & missiles @FaceTheNation
margaret brennan @margbrennan
9:57 AM - 13 May 2018
11rolandperkins
"All he does is lie and break
promises . . ." (10) I donʻt have TV, but I did hear a TV joke on the computer:
Q. "What do you think of Trump negotiating with Kim Jong Un?"
"Donʻt see how it could work out: Youʻre talking about a family that has always reneged on every agreement they ever entered into! AND
that Kim Jong Un isnʻt so reliable, either."
promises . . ." (10) I donʻt have TV, but I did hear a TV joke on the computer:
Q. "What do you think of Trump negotiating with Kim Jong Un?"
"Donʻt see how it could work out: Youʻre talking about a family that has always reneged on every agreement they ever entered into! AND
that Kim Jong Un isnʻt so reliable, either."
12DugsBooks
Was Bolton and idiot for suggesting a nuclear disarmament with North Korea similar to the one with Libya {where Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed soon after} or what? Seriously, maybe everyone might be thinking that but to make the statement more than once in public speeches available to everyone is the height of just stupidity. Of course N. Korea has reacted by threatening to cancel the talks.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-bolton-to-kim-jong-un-give-up-your-nukes-like...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-bolton-to-kim-jong-un-give-up-your-nukes-like...
13margd
Trump Can't Afford to Admit His Failures With North Korea
David Frum | May 17, 2018
The administration has no choice now but to carry on the pretense that the negotiations are proceeding favorably.
...Act I: Trump impulsively agrees to meet North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Perhaps unaware that the North Koreans have sought such a summit meeting for decades, Trump boasts that he has extracted a major concession.
Act II: Trump gradually comes to appreciate that he has been duped. To prove that he’s a winner, not a fool, he begins to oversell the summit, promising that the denuclearization of North Korea is at hand.
Act III: The North Koreans issue a public statement refuting Trump’s boasts. No, they will not denuclearize. And oh, by the way, it’s Trump who must pay tribute to them, not the other way around: If he wants his summit, he should cancel joint U.S.–South Korean exercises.
We’re in Act IV right now (Trump administration was reacting to the embarrassment of Act III by denying that anything untoward has happened)—and Act V has yet to be written...
...(Admin) pretense that it is scoring a great success in its Korea negotiations...Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has demanded “complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization,” or CVID in the argot of the negotiators. That will not be forthcoming. But perhaps something else will: a testing pause, maybe, or some other interim measure that can somehow be upgraded into the promised “great deal.”
...(First, South Korea) The South Korean leadership is not only seeking to constrain Trump’s options—it is advertising that constraint to the world.
...(Second) Before actually booking a Korean success, (Admin) committed itself to a second confrontation, against Iran...
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/05/trump-north-korea-summ...
ETA_________________________________________________________________________
Is North Korea trying to get John Bolton fired?
Jamie Tarabay | May 17, 2018
...Bolton's comments (Libyan model for North Korea) so incensed Pyongyang that the regime singled out the one-time undersecretary of state for arms control in a blistering statement on Wednesday.
"It is absolutely absurd to dare compare the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), a nuclear weapons state, to Libya, which had been at the initial stage of nuclear development," said Kim Kye Gwan, the first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs for North Korea.
"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," Kim continued in the statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The tone of Kim's statement, however, maintained a respectful tone for President Trump, saying he hopes the "Trump administration takes an approach to the summit with sincerity for improved relations," which, Kim said, "will receive a deserved response from us."
By focusing their ire on Bolton -- he didn't even merit an honorific in Kim's missive -- the North Koreans kept the door open to positive relations with Trump, while signaling that Bolton at the table in June would not be in the US leader's interest.
...(DPRK and Chinese leaders) Kim and Xi have already met twice in the lead-up to the summit. On Wednesday the Chinese foreign minister pressed for compromise, noting in a statement that the "initiative taken by North Korea is worthy of full recognition. All other parties, especially the United States, should cherish the current opportunity for peace."
He added that it is "necessary to prevent the situation while one party shows flexibility, the other party becomes tougher. There are such lessons in history. We don't want to see this happen again."...
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/17/asia/north-korea-john-bolton-trump-intl/index.htm...
David Frum | May 17, 2018
The administration has no choice now but to carry on the pretense that the negotiations are proceeding favorably.
...Act I: Trump impulsively agrees to meet North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Perhaps unaware that the North Koreans have sought such a summit meeting for decades, Trump boasts that he has extracted a major concession.
Act II: Trump gradually comes to appreciate that he has been duped. To prove that he’s a winner, not a fool, he begins to oversell the summit, promising that the denuclearization of North Korea is at hand.
Act III: The North Koreans issue a public statement refuting Trump’s boasts. No, they will not denuclearize. And oh, by the way, it’s Trump who must pay tribute to them, not the other way around: If he wants his summit, he should cancel joint U.S.–South Korean exercises.
We’re in Act IV right now (Trump administration was reacting to the embarrassment of Act III by denying that anything untoward has happened)—and Act V has yet to be written...
...(Admin) pretense that it is scoring a great success in its Korea negotiations...Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has demanded “complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization,” or CVID in the argot of the negotiators. That will not be forthcoming. But perhaps something else will: a testing pause, maybe, or some other interim measure that can somehow be upgraded into the promised “great deal.”
...(First, South Korea) The South Korean leadership is not only seeking to constrain Trump’s options—it is advertising that constraint to the world.
...(Second) Before actually booking a Korean success, (Admin) committed itself to a second confrontation, against Iran...
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/05/trump-north-korea-summ...
ETA_________________________________________________________________________
Is North Korea trying to get John Bolton fired?
Jamie Tarabay | May 17, 2018
...Bolton's comments (Libyan model for North Korea) so incensed Pyongyang that the regime singled out the one-time undersecretary of state for arms control in a blistering statement on Wednesday.
"It is absolutely absurd to dare compare the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), a nuclear weapons state, to Libya, which had been at the initial stage of nuclear development," said Kim Kye Gwan, the first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs for North Korea.
"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," Kim continued in the statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The tone of Kim's statement, however, maintained a respectful tone for President Trump, saying he hopes the "Trump administration takes an approach to the summit with sincerity for improved relations," which, Kim said, "will receive a deserved response from us."
By focusing their ire on Bolton -- he didn't even merit an honorific in Kim's missive -- the North Koreans kept the door open to positive relations with Trump, while signaling that Bolton at the table in June would not be in the US leader's interest.
...(DPRK and Chinese leaders) Kim and Xi have already met twice in the lead-up to the summit. On Wednesday the Chinese foreign minister pressed for compromise, noting in a statement that the "initiative taken by North Korea is worthy of full recognition. All other parties, especially the United States, should cherish the current opportunity for peace."
He added that it is "necessary to prevent the situation while one party shows flexibility, the other party becomes tougher. There are such lessons in history. We don't want to see this happen again."...
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/17/asia/north-korea-john-bolton-trump-intl/index.htm...
14margd
Three weeks before US-DPRK meeting, Trump, Bolton, and State Dept. on different pages.
Donald Trump's warning to Kim Jong-un: make a deal or suffer same fate as Gaddafi
Julian Borger | 18 May 2018
Asked about ‘Libya model’, Trump says: ‘That model … was total decimation. That model would take place if we don’t make a deal’
...The model Bolton was referring to was Gaddafi’s agreement in December 2003 to surrender his embryonic nuclear weapons programme, which included allowing his uranium centrifuges to be shipped out to the US.
But Trump appeared to be unaware of that agreement, and interpreted the “Libyan model” to mean the 2011 Nato intervention in Libya in support of an insurrection, which ultimately led to Gaddafi’s murder at the hands of rebels in Tripoli.
...Joel Wit, a former US negotiator who is now a senior fellow at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said: “This is probably the wrong time to be making threats, three weeks before the summit.”
...At a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday, a senior state department official suggested that a substantial but partial disarmament by North Korea might be acceptable as the first stage of a deal with North Korea.
Speaking to a meeting of business executives in Tokyo organised by the Wall Street Journal, Susan Thornton, the acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, said that in Kim’s conversations with South Korean officials, he had said “there will be a big downpayment, a big up-front demonstration of his intention” to dismantle the North Korean nuclear weapons programme completely.
“The question is: what could be front-loaded in a process that’s inevitably going to go on for some time? And then what would be acceptable to the North Korean side in return for that front-loading?” Thornton said.
It was unclear whether Thornton’s remarks had been coordinated with Bolton, who has suggested that North Korea would have to dismantle its nuclear weapons completely before receiving any benefits...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/17/north-korea-trump-latest-warning...
Donald Trump's warning to Kim Jong-un: make a deal or suffer same fate as Gaddafi
Julian Borger | 18 May 2018
Asked about ‘Libya model’, Trump says: ‘That model … was total decimation. That model would take place if we don’t make a deal’
...The model Bolton was referring to was Gaddafi’s agreement in December 2003 to surrender his embryonic nuclear weapons programme, which included allowing his uranium centrifuges to be shipped out to the US.
But Trump appeared to be unaware of that agreement, and interpreted the “Libyan model” to mean the 2011 Nato intervention in Libya in support of an insurrection, which ultimately led to Gaddafi’s murder at the hands of rebels in Tripoli.
...Joel Wit, a former US negotiator who is now a senior fellow at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said: “This is probably the wrong time to be making threats, three weeks before the summit.”
...At a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday, a senior state department official suggested that a substantial but partial disarmament by North Korea might be acceptable as the first stage of a deal with North Korea.
Speaking to a meeting of business executives in Tokyo organised by the Wall Street Journal, Susan Thornton, the acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, said that in Kim’s conversations with South Korean officials, he had said “there will be a big downpayment, a big up-front demonstration of his intention” to dismantle the North Korean nuclear weapons programme completely.
“The question is: what could be front-loaded in a process that’s inevitably going to go on for some time? And then what would be acceptable to the North Korean side in return for that front-loading?” Thornton said.
It was unclear whether Thornton’s remarks had been coordinated with Bolton, who has suggested that North Korea would have to dismantle its nuclear weapons completely before receiving any benefits...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/17/north-korea-trump-latest-warning...
16margd
"Kim is said to be worried about a military coup or other hostile actors who might try to depose him while he's away."
http://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-worried-about-military-coup-singapore...
http://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-worried-about-military-coup-singapore...
17DugsBooks
>16 margd: Time to warm up that anti aircraft gun & make them dance!
18margd
Trump cancels Singapore meeting. NK gave up three hostages, blew up its mountain, and got a taste of it's own negotiating tactics. Pence was bait? Now what... Sounds like door is open but NK has to ask.
19margd
Trump’s actions on North Korea have consequences. Here’s a list of them.
Anne Applebaum | May 25, 2018
We don’t have the credibility that we had before.
A U.S. president’s ignorance has been on naked display.
The North Korean leader’s prestige and legitimacy are enhanced.
The maintenance of sanctions is now more difficult.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/trumps-actions-on-north-...
Anne Applebaum | May 25, 2018
We don’t have the credibility that we had before.
A U.S. president’s ignorance has been on naked display.
The North Korean leader’s prestige and legitimacy are enhanced.
The maintenance of sanctions is now more difficult.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/trumps-actions-on-north-...
20margd
‘He Pretty Much Gave In to Whatever They Asked For’
MICHAEL KRUSE | June 01, 2018
Trump says he’s a master negotiator. Those who’ve actually dealt with him beg to differ.
...And with North Korea, according to (negotiation expert Marty Latz, author of "The Real Trump Deal: An Eye-Opening Look at How He Really Negotiates") and (Harvard Business School negotiating professor Deepak Malhotra, author of "Negotiating th Impossible"), Trump gave up too much leverage by agreeing so easily to the summit in Singapore. Trump, Malhotra wrote in March for CNBC, “has given the North Korean leader everything he wants,” and that his decision to meet “validates Kim Jong Un’s claim that only a nuclear-armed North Korea will be treated with respect by the Trump administration.”
“What’s the best thing you can say about Donald Trump as a negotiator?” I asked Malhotra recently. This was before Trump canceled on Kim.
There was a long pause.
“What I will say is that at least in the North Korea deal … at least he has tried to leave the door open to say this may not happen,” he said. “He’s realizing, a little bit, that he could get completely trapped. And you don’t want to trap yourself in such a way that the only way to look good is to do something really stupid.”
After Trump indeed backed out last week, Malhotra was “not surprised,” he told me. “He was not going to get a deal that was even close to as good as the Iran deal he killed. So the question was how to get out of the mess.”
Latz said he expects the summit to happen still at some point, and sooner rather than later. Why? Because what made Trump take the meeting in the first place remains the case. With the other negotiating setbacks, the worrisome swirl of the Mueller probe and the midterms mere months away, Trump needs a win. “He got himself into an almost untenable situation from a leverage perspective because he had communicated that he really wanted a deal here,” Latz said. “Despite the fact that Trump canceled and sent the signal he doesn’t really need the deal, he does really need the deal.”
North Korea experts worry about the incoherence and disorganization of Trump and his administration and that they could pay too little attention to tiny but critical details or agree to some type of pact without a firm and enforceable definition of “denuclearization.”
But regardless of what happens from here, a former Trump Organization executive told me, Trump will do what he does. He will try to spin it into a win.
“He believes he’s in a position of strength no matter where or when he is,” the executive said. “You have to understand that. If you knock Donald on his ass, he will tell you the best position to be in is on your ass.”
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/06/01/donald-trump-deals-negotiatio...
MICHAEL KRUSE | June 01, 2018
Trump says he’s a master negotiator. Those who’ve actually dealt with him beg to differ.
...And with North Korea, according to (negotiation expert Marty Latz, author of "The Real Trump Deal: An Eye-Opening Look at How He Really Negotiates") and (Harvard Business School negotiating professor Deepak Malhotra, author of "Negotiating th Impossible"), Trump gave up too much leverage by agreeing so easily to the summit in Singapore. Trump, Malhotra wrote in March for CNBC, “has given the North Korean leader everything he wants,” and that his decision to meet “validates Kim Jong Un’s claim that only a nuclear-armed North Korea will be treated with respect by the Trump administration.”
“What’s the best thing you can say about Donald Trump as a negotiator?” I asked Malhotra recently. This was before Trump canceled on Kim.
There was a long pause.
“What I will say is that at least in the North Korea deal … at least he has tried to leave the door open to say this may not happen,” he said. “He’s realizing, a little bit, that he could get completely trapped. And you don’t want to trap yourself in such a way that the only way to look good is to do something really stupid.”
After Trump indeed backed out last week, Malhotra was “not surprised,” he told me. “He was not going to get a deal that was even close to as good as the Iran deal he killed. So the question was how to get out of the mess.”
Latz said he expects the summit to happen still at some point, and sooner rather than later. Why? Because what made Trump take the meeting in the first place remains the case. With the other negotiating setbacks, the worrisome swirl of the Mueller probe and the midterms mere months away, Trump needs a win. “He got himself into an almost untenable situation from a leverage perspective because he had communicated that he really wanted a deal here,” Latz said. “Despite the fact that Trump canceled and sent the signal he doesn’t really need the deal, he does really need the deal.”
North Korea experts worry about the incoherence and disorganization of Trump and his administration and that they could pay too little attention to tiny but critical details or agree to some type of pact without a firm and enforceable definition of “denuclearization.”
But regardless of what happens from here, a former Trump Organization executive told me, Trump will do what he does. He will try to spin it into a win.
“He believes he’s in a position of strength no matter where or when he is,” the executive said. “You have to understand that. If you knock Donald on his ass, he will tell you the best position to be in is on your ass.”
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/06/01/donald-trump-deals-negotiatio...
21margd
Trump and Bolton spurn top-level North Korea planning
ELIANA JOHNSON | 06/07/2018
After two months on the job, Trump’s new national security adviser has not called a single top-level National Security Council meeting on North Korea.
...since Trump agreed on a whim to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un on March 8, the White House’s summit planning has been unstructured...Trump himself has driven the preparation almost exclusively on his own, consulting little with his national security team outside of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Senior officials from both the Barack Obama and George W. Bush administrations called the absence of a formal interagency process before such a consequential meeting troubling.
...Part of the problem is Trump’s on-and-off chemistry with Bolton.
...The absence of interagency of meetings on North Korea also reflects the breakdown of Kelly’s effort to impose traditional policymaking processes at the White House
...Many Asia experts worry that Trump is, as one former Bush official who worked on Asia policy recently put it to POLITICO, “is going to wing this summit.” The concern is shared by Japanese government officials who consider North Korea a threat to their security and worry Trump might cut a superficial deal that does too little to disarm Kim...
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/07/trump-bolton-north-korea-630362
ELIANA JOHNSON | 06/07/2018
After two months on the job, Trump’s new national security adviser has not called a single top-level National Security Council meeting on North Korea.
...since Trump agreed on a whim to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un on March 8, the White House’s summit planning has been unstructured...Trump himself has driven the preparation almost exclusively on his own, consulting little with his national security team outside of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Senior officials from both the Barack Obama and George W. Bush administrations called the absence of a formal interagency process before such a consequential meeting troubling.
...Part of the problem is Trump’s on-and-off chemistry with Bolton.
...The absence of interagency of meetings on North Korea also reflects the breakdown of Kelly’s effort to impose traditional policymaking processes at the White House
...Many Asia experts worry that Trump is, as one former Bush official who worked on Asia policy recently put it to POLITICO, “is going to wing this summit.” The concern is shared by Japanese government officials who consider North Korea a threat to their security and worry Trump might cut a superficial deal that does too little to disarm Kim...
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/07/trump-bolton-north-korea-630362
22margd
After a display like this and numerous other broken agreements, how can Trump be regarded as a reliable partner in peace negotiations?! He's as unreliable (or moreso) than North Korea! Geez, for once I hope Mueller holds his fire--at least for a few days! Fire and fury...
Trump torpedoes G7 effort to ease trade spat, threatens auto tariffs
Roberta Rampton, Jean-Baptiste Vey | June 9, 2018
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g7-summit/trump-torpedoes-g7-effort-to-ease-t...
‘Meek, mild and dishonest’: Trump lashes out at Trudeau after PM contradicts him in public
Amanda Connolly and Rahul Kalvapalle | June 9, 2018
https://globalnews.ca/news/4265020/trump-tweets-about-trudeau-g7-trade/
The Madness of King Trump on Full Display at the G7
Christopher Dickey | 06.09.18
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-madness-of-king-trump-on-full-display-at-the-g...
The Latest: Putin welcomes Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore
Fox News
The only world leader who can rely on Trump is Vladimir Putin
CNN
Opinion | Trump's effort to isolate us from the world is going great
The Washington Post
Trump torpedoes G7 effort to ease trade spat, threatens auto tariffs
Roberta Rampton, Jean-Baptiste Vey | June 9, 2018
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g7-summit/trump-torpedoes-g7-effort-to-ease-t...
‘Meek, mild and dishonest’: Trump lashes out at Trudeau after PM contradicts him in public
Amanda Connolly and Rahul Kalvapalle | June 9, 2018
https://globalnews.ca/news/4265020/trump-tweets-about-trudeau-g7-trade/
The Madness of King Trump on Full Display at the G7
Christopher Dickey | 06.09.18
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-madness-of-king-trump-on-full-display-at-the-g...
The Latest: Putin welcomes Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore
Fox News
The only world leader who can rely on Trump is Vladimir Putin
CNN
Opinion | Trump's effort to isolate us from the world is going great
The Washington Post
23margd
Reporter: How long do you think it will take you to figure out whether Kim Jong Un is serious?
President Trump: “I think in the first minute I will know … And if I think it won't happen, I am not going to waste my time. I don’t want to waste his time.” https://cbsn.ws/2HyEsEv pic.twitter.com/jFNm4qcWDZ
CBS News @CBSNews 10:39 AM - Jun 9, 2018
____________________________________________________________
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he didn’t feel he had to do much advance work for the June 12 meeting with Kim in Singapore. “I don’t think I have to prepare very much,” he said alongside visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “It’s about the attitude. It’s about willingness to get things done.”
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-today-president-says-he-doesnt-have-to-p...
President Trump: “I think in the first minute I will know … And if I think it won't happen, I am not going to waste my time. I don’t want to waste his time.” https://cbsn.ws/2HyEsEv pic.twitter.com/jFNm4qcWDZ
CBS News @CBSNews 10:39 AM - Jun 9, 2018
____________________________________________________________
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he didn’t feel he had to do much advance work for the June 12 meeting with Kim in Singapore. “I don’t think I have to prepare very much,” he said alongside visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “It’s about the attitude. It’s about willingness to get things done.”
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-today-president-says-he-doesnt-have-to-p...
24margd
I just realized that Trump is preparing to blame TRUDEAU if Kim talks don't pan out!! (Not Obama? ;-)
TRUDEAU is virtually guaranteed re-election if this keeps up!
"Stabbed in the back" "Special place in hell". Sheesh!
TRUDEAU is virtually guaranteed re-election if this keeps up!
"Stabbed in the back" "Special place in hell". Sheesh!
25DugsBooks
>22 margd: 23 24. i think I had another insight into world politics . Trump is assembling a coterie of oligarchs to exploit the global economy. Trump wanted Putin in the G7 conference, he is dissing Canada one of our stanchest allies and making overtures at least to N. Korea/China.
N. Korean labor and factories could be a huge source of income for Rocket boy if they get trade relief and continue selling the people’s labor to foreign governments and keeping the money. Since human rights issues are not on the table that may be the way things are headed.
N. Korean labor and factories could be a huge source of income for Rocket boy if they get trade relief and continue selling the people’s labor to foreign governments and keeping the money. Since human rights issues are not on the table that may be the way things are headed.
26margd
The President and the Bomb
Reforming the Nuclear Launch Process
Richard K. Betts and Matthew C. Waxman | March/April 2018
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2018-02-13/president-and-b...
Reforming the Nuclear Launch Process
Richard K. Betts and Matthew C. Waxman | March/April 2018
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2018-02-13/president-and-b...
27margd
President Trump Says U.S. Will End Joint Military Exercises with South Korea
AP | June 12, 2018
...Trump announced that he will be freezing U.S. military “war games” with its ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. Trump cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.
Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearization is long, but said, “once you start the process it means it’s pretty much over.”...
http://time.com/5309515/trump-kim-summit-south-korea-end-military-exercises/
____________________________________________________
Japan PM Shinzo Abe thanks Donald Trump for raising North Korea’s abductions with Kim Jong-un
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 12 June, 2018
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan will engage with North Korea to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North decades ago
...The statement (below) did not touch on human rights in North Korea, including the abductions of Japanese citizens.
...Japan officially lists 17 citizens as abduction victims and suspects North Korea was involved in many more disappearances.
Five of the 17 were repatriated in 2002, with Pyongyang maintaining that eight had died and four others never entered the country.
Japan and North Korea agreed in 2014 that Pyongyang would reinvestigate the fate of all of the abductees.
But the North later disbanded the investigation panel and effectively abandoned the bilateral accord...
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/2150426/japan-pm-shinzo-abe-than...
____________________________________________________
Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit
President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.
President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Convinced that the establishment of new US-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:
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.
The United States and DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.
Having acknowledged that the US-DPRK summit -- the first in history -- was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in the joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK summit.
President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new US-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and the security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.
DONALD J. TRUMP
President of the United States of America
KIM JONG UN
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
June 12, 2018
Sentosa Island
Singapore
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/12/politics/read-full-text-of-trump-kim-signed-state...
AP | June 12, 2018
...Trump announced that he will be freezing U.S. military “war games” with its ally South Korea while negotiations between the two countries continue. Trump cast the decision as a cost-saving measure, but North Korea has long objected to the drills as a security threat.
Trump acknowledged that the timetable for denuclearization is long, but said, “once you start the process it means it’s pretty much over.”...
http://time.com/5309515/trump-kim-summit-south-korea-end-military-exercises/
____________________________________________________
Japan PM Shinzo Abe thanks Donald Trump for raising North Korea’s abductions with Kim Jong-un
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 12 June, 2018
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan will engage with North Korea to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North decades ago
...The statement (below) did not touch on human rights in North Korea, including the abductions of Japanese citizens.
...Japan officially lists 17 citizens as abduction victims and suspects North Korea was involved in many more disappearances.
Five of the 17 were repatriated in 2002, with Pyongyang maintaining that eight had died and four others never entered the country.
Japan and North Korea agreed in 2014 that Pyongyang would reinvestigate the fate of all of the abductees.
But the North later disbanded the investigation panel and effectively abandoned the bilateral accord...
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/2150426/japan-pm-shinzo-abe-than...
____________________________________________________
Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit
President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.
President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Convinced that the establishment of new US-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:
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.
The United States and DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.
Having acknowledged that the US-DPRK summit -- the first in history -- was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in the joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK summit.
President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new US-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and the security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.
DONALD J. TRUMP
President of the United States of America
KIM JONG UN
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
June 12, 2018
Sentosa Island
Singapore
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/12/politics/read-full-text-of-trump-kim-signed-state...
28margd
Kim Jong Un is no Justin Trudeau...
Report of the commission of inquiry on human
rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea - A/HRC/25/63
February 7, 2014
36 pages
Report of the detailed findings of the
commission of inquiry on human rights in the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea -
A/HRC/25/CRP.1
372 pages
...Violations of the right to food,
Violations associated with prison camps,
Torture and inhuman treatment,
Arbitrary detention,
Discrimination,
Violations of freedom of expression,
Violations of the right to life,
Violations of freedom of movement, and
Enforced disappearances, including in the form of abductions of nationals of other States...
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInqui...
Report of the commission of inquiry on human
rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea - A/HRC/25/63
February 7, 2014
36 pages
Report of the detailed findings of the
commission of inquiry on human rights in the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea -
A/HRC/25/CRP.1
372 pages
...Violations of the right to food,
Violations associated with prison camps,
Torture and inhuman treatment,
Arbitrary detention,
Discrimination,
Violations of freedom of expression,
Violations of the right to life,
Violations of freedom of movement, and
Enforced disappearances, including in the form of abductions of nationals of other States...
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInqui...
29cpg
>28 margd:
What actions would you suggest that the United States take to eliminate these human rights abuses in North Korea?
What actions would you suggest that the United States take to eliminate these human rights abuses in North Korea?
30DugsBooks
>29 cpg: I think the only action to take would be to wear a "Trump & Kim Jong Un" T shirt that China - the real winner- will be giving away no doubt. With a reduction in USA forces there China's new policy of dominating the seas in the area will be given a big boost. They can also have an excuse to increase trade in whatever they care to N. Korea.
31margd
>29 cpg: I've wondered if Kim's half-brother recently poisoned by those clueless women in (Malasia?) might have been the answer. Maybe China had him in mind as a somewhat less bloodthirsty Dear Leader?
32DugsBooks
>31 margd: That would be following in Kim Jong Un’s uncle’s {Jang Song-thaek} footsteps wouldn’t it? He had a date with hungry dogs or an anti aircraft gun due to his close ties with Chinese officials I believe was a theory.
Aha at wiki “it appears that as the perceived 'China man in Pyongyang'", Jang's "perceived close ties with China may have done a disservice to his standing in the eyes of Kim, exposed him to criticism of being too subservient to China, and made him vulnerable to any anti-China backlash in Pyongyang".29 Thought to have been particularly unacceptable to Kim Jong-un were Jang's "continued expression of sympathy towards" Kim Jong-nam—Kim Jong-un's half-brother and Kim Jong-il's eldest son—who was living in exile under Chinese protection at the time.29”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jang_Song-thaek
Aha at wiki “it appears that as the perceived 'China man in Pyongyang'", Jang's "perceived close ties with China may have done a disservice to his standing in the eyes of Kim, exposed him to criticism of being too subservient to China, and made him vulnerable to any anti-China backlash in Pyongyang".29 Thought to have been particularly unacceptable to Kim Jong-un were Jang's "continued expression of sympathy towards" Kim Jong-nam—Kim Jong-un's half-brother and Kim Jong-il's eldest son—who was living in exile under Chinese protection at the time.29”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jang_Song-thaek
33margd
It looks like China knew about Trump stopping war games before the US military or South Korea did
Alex Lockie | June 12, 2018
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US and South Korea would stop joint military drills after meeting Kim Jong Un.
But the Pentagon and South Korea haven't heard anything about it, even though China apparently has.
US military forces in Korea have not received any direction to cease joint military drills, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
The US has long resisted calls to suspend military drills, even when offered a freeze in North Korean missile and nuclear testing in return.
It traditionally asserted that bilateral, planned, and transparent military drills are legal while North Korea's nuclear program is not...
http://www.businessinsider.com/china-knew-about-trump-stopping-korea-military-dr...
Alex Lockie | June 12, 2018
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US and South Korea would stop joint military drills after meeting Kim Jong Un.
But the Pentagon and South Korea haven't heard anything about it, even though China apparently has.
US military forces in Korea have not received any direction to cease joint military drills, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
The US has long resisted calls to suspend military drills, even when offered a freeze in North Korean missile and nuclear testing in return.
It traditionally asserted that bilateral, planned, and transparent military drills are legal while North Korea's nuclear program is not...
http://www.businessinsider.com/china-knew-about-trump-stopping-korea-military-dr...
34lriley
#33--yeah, he doesn't tip off his generals, admirals or allies which tells you he's not interested in their advice or even whatever concerns they might have.
To be honest though I really don't like us having a 1000 + foreign military bases around the globe. I'd be rolling a lot of it back and if we're going to make cuts anywhere it should be to the pentagon and all the weapons/military hardware corporations that feed like parasites off the taxpayers of this country. With all this shit--this role of world policeman we've set ourselves up to get into conflicts we have no business getting into and there are plenty of wealthy entities and corrupt politicians always ready to take advantage.
Having said that though Trump is not doing what he's doing for the right reasons and the fact that he doesn't tip off his own military just shows again more hubris and arrogance. He's not a fucking King but he certainly thinks he is. As well the North Korean dictator is as maniacal as any head of state anywhere on planet Earth and he's giving him credibility.
To be honest though I really don't like us having a 1000 + foreign military bases around the globe. I'd be rolling a lot of it back and if we're going to make cuts anywhere it should be to the pentagon and all the weapons/military hardware corporations that feed like parasites off the taxpayers of this country. With all this shit--this role of world policeman we've set ourselves up to get into conflicts we have no business getting into and there are plenty of wealthy entities and corrupt politicians always ready to take advantage.
Having said that though Trump is not doing what he's doing for the right reasons and the fact that he doesn't tip off his own military just shows again more hubris and arrogance. He's not a fucking King but he certainly thinks he is. As well the North Korean dictator is as maniacal as any head of state anywhere on planet Earth and he's giving him credibility.
35margd
>1 margd: ''How acceptable...is a peace treaty if North Korea makes only symbolic progress toward denuclearization?"
Satellite images show North Korea upgrading nuclear research facility: report
Avery Anapol - 06/26/18
...The images, obtained by North Korea analysis outlet 38 North, come just weeks after President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement that called for a denuclearized Korean peninsula.
...The improvements (to Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center) include a new cooling water pump house, multiple new buildings, completed construction on a cooling water reservoir and an apparently active Radiochemical Laboratory. It is unclear whether the reactor is still in operation, the report said.
38 North notes that North Korean nuclear officials are expected to proceed with “business as usual” until Kim orders official changes to procedure...
http://thehill.com/policy/international/394326-satellite-images-show-north-korea...
Satellite images show North Korea upgrading nuclear research facility: report
Avery Anapol - 06/26/18
...The images, obtained by North Korea analysis outlet 38 North, come just weeks after President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement that called for a denuclearized Korean peninsula.
...The improvements (to Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center) include a new cooling water pump house, multiple new buildings, completed construction on a cooling water reservoir and an apparently active Radiochemical Laboratory. It is unclear whether the reactor is still in operation, the report said.
38 North notes that North Korean nuclear officials are expected to proceed with “business as usual” until Kim orders official changes to procedure...
http://thehill.com/policy/international/394326-satellite-images-show-north-korea...
36DugsBooks
>35 margd: First I have heard of that situation. I am surprised that more of the media have not picked up on it.
37margd
North Korea 'executes officer who jumped gun on peace on peninsula'
Julian Ryall | 28 June 2018
...“While checking the oil supplies for the Sohae Satellite Launching Station during the comprehensive inspections of wartime supplies on April 10, (Lt Gen) Hyon stated, ‘We no longer have to suffer and tighten our belts to make rockets or nuclear weapons’. This was seen as an abuse of authority and a treasonous statement that opposed the Party’s military-first policy”, (Seoul-based Daily NK) reported.
Lt. Gen. Hyon also gave out 1 ton of fuel, 1,278 lbs of rice and 1,653 lbs of corn to fellow officers at the site and their families, an act which state prosecutors decided violated the Ten Principles for the Establishment of the Party’s One Ideology System.
Judges drawn from the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party, the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of the Armed Forces found Lt. Gen. Hyon guilty of abuse of authority, profiting the enemy and anti-party acts.
Another source in Pyongyang reported that the case went all the way to Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, who ordered the officer’s execution in the grounds that, “We must nip the bud of ideological poisoning”...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/28/north-korea-executes-officer-jumped-...
Julian Ryall | 28 June 2018
...“While checking the oil supplies for the Sohae Satellite Launching Station during the comprehensive inspections of wartime supplies on April 10, (Lt Gen) Hyon stated, ‘We no longer have to suffer and tighten our belts to make rockets or nuclear weapons’. This was seen as an abuse of authority and a treasonous statement that opposed the Party’s military-first policy”, (Seoul-based Daily NK) reported.
Lt. Gen. Hyon also gave out 1 ton of fuel, 1,278 lbs of rice and 1,653 lbs of corn to fellow officers at the site and their families, an act which state prosecutors decided violated the Ten Principles for the Establishment of the Party’s One Ideology System.
Judges drawn from the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party, the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of the Armed Forces found Lt. Gen. Hyon guilty of abuse of authority, profiting the enemy and anti-party acts.
Another source in Pyongyang reported that the case went all the way to Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, who ordered the officer’s execution in the grounds that, “We must nip the bud of ideological poisoning”...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/28/north-korea-executes-officer-jumped-...
38DugsBooks
Some irony there, Lt. Gen. Hyon learned the fate for his self professed superfluousness in the Brave New World of a peaceful N. Korea.
39margd
Our boy reminds me of Looney Tunes' Tasmanian Devil--a whirlwind of destructive energy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5MVvqucTkc
Trump Can't Afford to Admit His Failures With North Korea
David Frum | May 17, 2018
The administration has no choice now but to carry on the pretense that the negotiations are proceeding favorably.
...The administration may have little choice by now but to carry on the pretense that it is scoring a great success in its Korea negotiations, and for two reasons.
First, U.S. options in the Korean peninsula depend heavily on the cooperation of South Korea. Trump has now thoroughly frightened and alienated South Korean opinion.
...The South Korean leadership is not only seeking to constrain Trump’s options—it is advertising that constraint to the world. In August 2017, Moon asserted a veto over any U.S. military operations on the peninsula.
...Before actually booking a Korean success, (the US) committed itself to a second confrontation, against Iran.
...the very unfavorable situation that administration has created for itself with regard to Iran—reverting to the pre-2015 sanctions policy, only this time without allies and without UN resolutions—strongly biases the Trump White House to delude itself about success in Korea. If the sharp international sanctions against North Korea failed to bend Kim to Trump’s will, then the outlook seems dire for the weaker unilateral sanctions Trump can impose on Iran. Only if the Korea policy can be depicted as a success does the Iran policy not look like a path to failure.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/05/trump-north-korea-summ...
Trump Can't Afford to Admit His Failures With North Korea
David Frum | May 17, 2018
The administration has no choice now but to carry on the pretense that the negotiations are proceeding favorably.
...The administration may have little choice by now but to carry on the pretense that it is scoring a great success in its Korea negotiations, and for two reasons.
First, U.S. options in the Korean peninsula depend heavily on the cooperation of South Korea. Trump has now thoroughly frightened and alienated South Korean opinion.
...The South Korean leadership is not only seeking to constrain Trump’s options—it is advertising that constraint to the world. In August 2017, Moon asserted a veto over any U.S. military operations on the peninsula.
...Before actually booking a Korean success, (the US) committed itself to a second confrontation, against Iran.
...the very unfavorable situation that administration has created for itself with regard to Iran—reverting to the pre-2015 sanctions policy, only this time without allies and without UN resolutions—strongly biases the Trump White House to delude itself about success in Korea. If the sharp international sanctions against North Korea failed to bend Kim to Trump’s will, then the outlook seems dire for the weaker unilateral sanctions Trump can impose on Iran. Only if the Korea policy can be depicted as a success does the Iran policy not look like a path to failure.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/05/trump-north-korea-summ...
40margd
North Korea has increased nuclear production at secret sites, say U.S. officials
Courtney Kube, Ken Dilanian and Carol E. Lee / Jun.29.2018
"Work is ongoing to deceive us on the number of facilities, the number of weapons, the number of missiles," said one U.S. official.
U.S. intelligence agencies believe that North Korea has increased its production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months — and that Kim Jong Un may try to hide those facilities as he seeks more concessions in nuclear talks with the Trump administration, U.S. officials told NBC News.
The intelligence assessment, which has not previously been reported, seems to counter the sentiments expressed by President Donald Trump, who tweeted after his historic June 12 summit with Kim that "there was no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea."
Analysts at the CIA and other intelligence agencies don't see it that way, according to more than a dozen American officials who are familiar with their assessments and spoke on the condition of anonymity. They see a regime positioning itself to extract every concession it can from the Trump administration — while clinging to nuclear weapons it believes are essential to survival...
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/north-korea/north-korea-has-increased-nuclear-produ...
Courtney Kube, Ken Dilanian and Carol E. Lee / Jun.29.2018
"Work is ongoing to deceive us on the number of facilities, the number of weapons, the number of missiles," said one U.S. official.
U.S. intelligence agencies believe that North Korea has increased its production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months — and that Kim Jong Un may try to hide those facilities as he seeks more concessions in nuclear talks with the Trump administration, U.S. officials told NBC News.
The intelligence assessment, which has not previously been reported, seems to counter the sentiments expressed by President Donald Trump, who tweeted after his historic June 12 summit with Kim that "there was no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea."
Analysts at the CIA and other intelligence agencies don't see it that way, according to more than a dozen American officials who are familiar with their assessments and spoke on the condition of anonymity. They see a regime positioning itself to extract every concession it can from the Trump administration — while clinging to nuclear weapons it believes are essential to survival...
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/north-korea/north-korea-has-increased-nuclear-produ...
41margd
Cost of one of those 'expensive' U.S.-South Korea military exercises? $14 million
Idrees Ali | July 6, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea scrapped after President Donald Trump griped about “tremendously expensive” military drills would have cost around $14 million
...“We save a fortune by not doing war games, as long as we are negotiating in good faith - which both sides are!” Trump said on Twitter last month.
...a recent contract awarded to Boeing Co (BA.N) for nearly $24 million for two refrigerators to store food aboard Air Force One, the presidential plane...
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-military-cost/cost-of-one-of-t...
Idrees Ali | July 6, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea scrapped after President Donald Trump griped about “tremendously expensive” military drills would have cost around $14 million
...“We save a fortune by not doing war games, as long as we are negotiating in good faith - which both sides are!” Trump said on Twitter last month.
...a recent contract awarded to Boeing Co (BA.N) for nearly $24 million for two refrigerators to store food aboard Air Force One, the presidential plane...
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-military-cost/cost-of-one-of-t...
42margd
I wonder whether Trump tariffs on Chinese exports had anything to do with change of tone from North Korea.
POMPEO EMBARRASSED: Trump’s North Korea Policy Just Collapsed
Gordon G. Chang | 07.07.18
Pyongyang, by humiliating Secretary of State Pompeo, exposed the fallacy at the heart of American policy.
On Saturday North Korea’s Foreign Ministry called just-completed talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “regrettable.” They were, the ministry said, “very concerning” because they could lead to a “dangerous phase that might rattle our willingness for denuclearization that had been firm.”
The ministry also complained about America’s “gangster-like mindset.”
The statement embarrassed Pompeo, who just hours before issued a sunny assessment of the two-day discussions. There had been, he said, “progress on almost all of the central issues.”
...It was right for the president to give Kim the “one-time shot” to make the historic decision to give up nukes. It was right for Trump to accelerate diplomacy after the summit. It was right for him to put Kim to the test by sending Pompeo to Pyongyang.
And now it is right for Trump to say Kim has wasted that opportunity and act accordingly.
...pull the plug on negotiations.
...(large-scale joint military exercises with South Korea)
...in late May reported that UN and U.S. sanctions cut the flow of international payments to Kim in half. That number could be reduced by, say, another 40 percent, with vigorous enforcement, including a blockade.
...go after Pyongyang’s big-power sponsors, Beijing and Moscow
...enforce U.S. law against money-laundering Chinese banks...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-north-korea-policy-just-collapsed
POMPEO EMBARRASSED: Trump’s North Korea Policy Just Collapsed
Gordon G. Chang | 07.07.18
Pyongyang, by humiliating Secretary of State Pompeo, exposed the fallacy at the heart of American policy.
On Saturday North Korea’s Foreign Ministry called just-completed talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “regrettable.” They were, the ministry said, “very concerning” because they could lead to a “dangerous phase that might rattle our willingness for denuclearization that had been firm.”
The ministry also complained about America’s “gangster-like mindset.”
The statement embarrassed Pompeo, who just hours before issued a sunny assessment of the two-day discussions. There had been, he said, “progress on almost all of the central issues.”
...It was right for the president to give Kim the “one-time shot” to make the historic decision to give up nukes. It was right for Trump to accelerate diplomacy after the summit. It was right for him to put Kim to the test by sending Pompeo to Pyongyang.
And now it is right for Trump to say Kim has wasted that opportunity and act accordingly.
...pull the plug on negotiations.
...(large-scale joint military exercises with South Korea)
...in late May reported that UN and U.S. sanctions cut the flow of international payments to Kim in half. That number could be reduced by, say, another 40 percent, with vigorous enforcement, including a blockade.
...go after Pyongyang’s big-power sponsors, Beijing and Moscow
...enforce U.S. law against money-laundering Chinese banks...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-north-korea-policy-just-collapsed
43margd
In private, Trump vents frustration over lack of progress on North Korea
John Hudson, Josh Dawsey and Carol D. Leonnig | July 22, 2018
...Many of the president’s top security and intelligence officials have long doubted that North Korea would live up to any of its commitments. But given the lack of options outside of the diplomatic realm, some analysts said a tolerant approach still provides the best outlook.
“I worry that Trump might lose patience with the length and complexities of negotiations that are common when dealing with North Korea and walk away and revert back to serious considerations of the military option,” said Duyeon Kim, the Korea scholar. “Getting to a nuclear agreement takes a long time, and implementing it will be even harder.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-private-trump-vents-hi...
John Hudson, Josh Dawsey and Carol D. Leonnig | July 22, 2018
...Many of the president’s top security and intelligence officials have long doubted that North Korea would live up to any of its commitments. But given the lack of options outside of the diplomatic realm, some analysts said a tolerant approach still provides the best outlook.
“I worry that Trump might lose patience with the length and complexities of negotiations that are common when dealing with North Korea and walk away and revert back to serious considerations of the military option,” said Duyeon Kim, the Korea scholar. “Getting to a nuclear agreement takes a long time, and implementing it will be even harder.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-private-trump-vents-hi...
44margd
And then there's Iran, China/allies and incipient trade wars...
The danger of troubled presidents and foreign distractions
Harry J. Kazianis* | 08/28/18
What is a media-savvy U.S. president to do about the early but cautious calls for his ouster, especially if Democrats take control of Congress this fall? Quite simply, he should go abroad.
...Trump’s latest headline-making tweet, announcing that he canceled a fourth visit to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
...North Korea might be a willing accomplice in such a scenario...
In a recent piece in Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the North accused the Trump administration of staging military drills in preparation for a possible invasion if talks between the two countries were to fail. The article — citing a South Korean radio report stating that American “special units” had been moved to the Philippines — claimed that this was some sort of training to simulate “infiltration into Pyongyang.” There is even an accusation that a U.S. Navy submarine moved special forces from Okinawa, Japan, to South Korea recently, supposedly more evidence of America’s hostile intent.
...keeping in mind Trump’s 2017 responses to Kim’s threat to test-fire missiles near Guam — when Trump threatened to unleash “fire and fury” and nicknamed the North Korean dictator “Little Rocket Man” — one could easily see the current situation escalate.
And considering how the media gobbled up every insult then, if Trump launched a verbal war of words against North Korea again, the calls for his impeachment would suddenly move to the B or C block of TV news shows...
The danger, of course, is that a war of words, in the media and online, easily could spiral out of control...
http://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/403914-the-danger-of-troubled-presidents-...
*Harry J. Kazianis (@grecianformula) is director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, founded in 1994 by President Richard M. Nixon, and executive editor of its publishing arm, The National Interest. He previously worked on the foreign policy team of the 2016 Ted Cruz presidential campaign and as foreign policy communications manager at the Heritage Foundation, editor-in-chief of The Diplomat, and as a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies...
______________________________________________________________________________
Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran ready to abandon nuclear deal
Ayatollah Khamenei tells Iran's president and cabinet they cannot count on European support for landmark agreement.
...Iran has said if it cannot sell its oil because of US pressure, then no other regional country will be allowed to do so either, threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz - the strategic artery linking Gulf crude producers to the world.
A senior Iranian military official warned on Wednesday if foreign forces in the Gulf do not follow international laws, they would face the Revolutionary Guards' firm response...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/ayatollah-khamenei-iran-ready-abandon-nuc...
more on Middle East
Iran doctors: US sanctions endangering patients' lives
Israel threatens 'strong' action against Iranian forces in Syria
The danger of troubled presidents and foreign distractions
Harry J. Kazianis* | 08/28/18
What is a media-savvy U.S. president to do about the early but cautious calls for his ouster, especially if Democrats take control of Congress this fall? Quite simply, he should go abroad.
...Trump’s latest headline-making tweet, announcing that he canceled a fourth visit to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
...North Korea might be a willing accomplice in such a scenario...
In a recent piece in Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the North accused the Trump administration of staging military drills in preparation for a possible invasion if talks between the two countries were to fail. The article — citing a South Korean radio report stating that American “special units” had been moved to the Philippines — claimed that this was some sort of training to simulate “infiltration into Pyongyang.” There is even an accusation that a U.S. Navy submarine moved special forces from Okinawa, Japan, to South Korea recently, supposedly more evidence of America’s hostile intent.
...keeping in mind Trump’s 2017 responses to Kim’s threat to test-fire missiles near Guam — when Trump threatened to unleash “fire and fury” and nicknamed the North Korean dictator “Little Rocket Man” — one could easily see the current situation escalate.
And considering how the media gobbled up every insult then, if Trump launched a verbal war of words against North Korea again, the calls for his impeachment would suddenly move to the B or C block of TV news shows...
The danger, of course, is that a war of words, in the media and online, easily could spiral out of control...
http://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/403914-the-danger-of-troubled-presidents-...
*Harry J. Kazianis (@grecianformula) is director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, founded in 1994 by President Richard M. Nixon, and executive editor of its publishing arm, The National Interest. He previously worked on the foreign policy team of the 2016 Ted Cruz presidential campaign and as foreign policy communications manager at the Heritage Foundation, editor-in-chief of The Diplomat, and as a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies...
______________________________________________________________________________
Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran ready to abandon nuclear deal
Ayatollah Khamenei tells Iran's president and cabinet they cannot count on European support for landmark agreement.
...Iran has said if it cannot sell its oil because of US pressure, then no other regional country will be allowed to do so either, threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz - the strategic artery linking Gulf crude producers to the world.
A senior Iranian military official warned on Wednesday if foreign forces in the Gulf do not follow international laws, they would face the Revolutionary Guards' firm response...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/ayatollah-khamenei-iran-ready-abandon-nuc...
more on Middle East
Iran doctors: US sanctions endangering patients' lives
Israel threatens 'strong' action against Iranian forces in Syria
45margd
Bob Woodward said Trump nearly provoked North Korea into war with a single tweet
Rosie Perper | 9/10/2018
...Woodward...said Trump is fixated on the fact that the US spends $3.5 billion a year to station 28,000 troops in South Korea in order to maintain military presence on the peninsula.
...Woodward said Trump drafted a tweet calling to remove the families of those troops stationed in South Korea.
...The tweet was never sent out, reportedly due to backchannel communications with North Korea that said the North would regard the move as a sign the US was preparing to wage war.
..."In that moment there was a sense of profound alarm in the Pentagon leadership that, my God, one tweet and we have reliable information that the North Koreans are going to read this as 'an attack is imminent,'" Woodward said.
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-north-korea-bob-woodward-2018-9
Rosie Perper | 9/10/2018
...Woodward...said Trump is fixated on the fact that the US spends $3.5 billion a year to station 28,000 troops in South Korea in order to maintain military presence on the peninsula.
...Woodward said Trump drafted a tweet calling to remove the families of those troops stationed in South Korea.
...The tweet was never sent out, reportedly due to backchannel communications with North Korea that said the North would regard the move as a sign the US was preparing to wage war.
..."In that moment there was a sense of profound alarm in the Pentagon leadership that, my God, one tweet and we have reliable information that the North Koreans are going to read this as 'an attack is imminent,'" Woodward said.
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-north-korea-bob-woodward-2018-9
46margd
In North Korea, Missile Bases Suggest a Great Deception
David E. Sanger and William J. Broad | Nov. 12, 2018
WASHINGTON — North Korea is moving ahead with its ballistic missile program at 16 hidden bases that have been identified in new commercial satellite images, a network long known to American intelligence agencies but left undiscussed as President Trump claims to have neutralized the North’s nuclear threat.
The satellite images suggest that the North has been engaged in a great deception: It has offered to dismantle a major launching site — a step it began, then halted — while continuing to make improvements at more than a dozen others that would bolster launches of conventional and nuclear warheads.
...Mr. Trump assert(s) that his landmark diplomacy is leading to the elimination of a nuclear and missile program that the North had warned could devastate the United States.
...missile flight tests...have not occurred in nearly a year. But American intelligence officials say that the North’s production of nuclear material, of new nuclear weapons and of missiles that can be placed on mobile launchers and hidden in mountains at the secret bases has continued.
...sanctions are collapsing, in part because North Korea has leveraged its new, softer-sounding relationship with Washington, and its stated commitment to eventual denuclearization, to resume trade with Russia and China.
...American program to track those mobile missiles with a new generation of small, inexpensive satellites (from Obama era)...is stalled...series of budget and bureaucratic disputes
...A State Department spokesman responded to the findings with a written statement suggesting that the government believed the sites must be dismantled
...If tensions rose, the report says, the missiles would be transported from the base to prearranged launching sites — often no more than a wide spot in a road.... The mobile launchers can move quickly — they can be ready to fire in under an hour — which is why the United States has been trying to get the small satellites into the sky for early warning. The satellites have a special kind of sensor using “synthetic aperture radar” that cuts through clouds.
...A map of North Korea in the report shows three belts of missile bases that run from short-range tactical emplacements, to sites with midrange missiles that could strike most of South Korea, Japan and American bases in the Pacific, to strategic ones for missiles that threaten to reach American shores.
The strategic bases appear to be home to the intercontinental ballistic missiles that North Korea test-fired in 2017, alarming the world....
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/us/politics/north-korea-missile-bases.html
David E. Sanger and William J. Broad | Nov. 12, 2018
WASHINGTON — North Korea is moving ahead with its ballistic missile program at 16 hidden bases that have been identified in new commercial satellite images, a network long known to American intelligence agencies but left undiscussed as President Trump claims to have neutralized the North’s nuclear threat.
The satellite images suggest that the North has been engaged in a great deception: It has offered to dismantle a major launching site — a step it began, then halted — while continuing to make improvements at more than a dozen others that would bolster launches of conventional and nuclear warheads.
...Mr. Trump assert(s) that his landmark diplomacy is leading to the elimination of a nuclear and missile program that the North had warned could devastate the United States.
...missile flight tests...have not occurred in nearly a year. But American intelligence officials say that the North’s production of nuclear material, of new nuclear weapons and of missiles that can be placed on mobile launchers and hidden in mountains at the secret bases has continued.
...sanctions are collapsing, in part because North Korea has leveraged its new, softer-sounding relationship with Washington, and its stated commitment to eventual denuclearization, to resume trade with Russia and China.
...American program to track those mobile missiles with a new generation of small, inexpensive satellites (from Obama era)...is stalled...series of budget and bureaucratic disputes
...A State Department spokesman responded to the findings with a written statement suggesting that the government believed the sites must be dismantled
...If tensions rose, the report says, the missiles would be transported from the base to prearranged launching sites — often no more than a wide spot in a road.... The mobile launchers can move quickly — they can be ready to fire in under an hour — which is why the United States has been trying to get the small satellites into the sky for early warning. The satellites have a special kind of sensor using “synthetic aperture radar” that cuts through clouds.
...A map of North Korea in the report shows three belts of missile bases that run from short-range tactical emplacements, to sites with midrange missiles that could strike most of South Korea, Japan and American bases in the Pacific, to strategic ones for missiles that threaten to reach American shores.
The strategic bases appear to be home to the intercontinental ballistic missiles that North Korea test-fired in 2017, alarming the world....
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/us/politics/north-korea-missile-bases.html
47margd
North Korea has 'expanded secret missile base' despite Trump promises over denuclearisation
Tom Embury-Dennis | 12/6/2018
Satellite images reportedly show construction continued after US president's historic summit with Kim Jong-un
...US officials have long known about the Yeongjeo-dong base, but images show construction on a new facility seven miles away not previously made public, the US news channel reported.
“Satellite images show that the base remains active. Moreover, in the past year North Korea has significantly expanded a nearby facility that appears to be another missile base,” the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIISM) said in a report seen by CNN.
The images reportedly suggest the large underground facility was being built in 2017 and workers were continuing construction as of August this year...
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-missile-base-w...
Tom Embury-Dennis | 12/6/2018
Satellite images reportedly show construction continued after US president's historic summit with Kim Jong-un
...US officials have long known about the Yeongjeo-dong base, but images show construction on a new facility seven miles away not previously made public, the US news channel reported.
“Satellite images show that the base remains active. Moreover, in the past year North Korea has significantly expanded a nearby facility that appears to be another missile base,” the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIISM) said in a report seen by CNN.
The images reportedly suggest the large underground facility was being built in 2017 and workers were continuing construction as of August this year...
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-missile-base-w...
48margd
As Trump and Kim Met, North Korean Hackers Hit Over 100 Targets in U.S. and Ally Nations
Nicole Perlroth | March 3, 2019
North Korean hackers targeted banks, utilities and energy companies in the United States and Europe over the last 18 months, according to the security firm McAfee. New York, a financial hub, was a major target...
SAN FRANCISCO — North Korean hackers who have targeted American and European businesses for 18 months kept up their attacks last week even as President Trump was meeting with North Korea’s leader in Hanoi.
The attacks, which include efforts to hack into banks, utilities and oil and gas companies, began in 2017, according to researchers at the cybersecurity company McAfee, a time when tensions between North Korea and the United States were flaring. But even though both sides have toned down their fiery threats and begun nuclear disarmament talks, the attacks persist...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/03/technology/north-korea-hackers-trump.html
Nicole Perlroth | March 3, 2019
North Korean hackers targeted banks, utilities and energy companies in the United States and Europe over the last 18 months, according to the security firm McAfee. New York, a financial hub, was a major target...
SAN FRANCISCO — North Korean hackers who have targeted American and European businesses for 18 months kept up their attacks last week even as President Trump was meeting with North Korea’s leader in Hanoi.
The attacks, which include efforts to hack into banks, utilities and oil and gas companies, began in 2017, according to researchers at the cybersecurity company McAfee, a time when tensions between North Korea and the United States were flaring. But even though both sides have toned down their fiery threats and begun nuclear disarmament talks, the attacks persist...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/03/technology/north-korea-hackers-trump.html
49margd
Death throes of a Lame Duck--hope no one else gets hurt in his flailings...
Trump surprises his own aides by reversing North Korea sanctions
ANDREW RESTUCCIA and CAITLIN OPRYSKO | 03/22/2019
PALM BEACH, Florida — President Donald Trump on Friday set off widespread confusion across the administration when he appeared to announce that he would undo recently imposed sanctions on North Korea.
Following hours of uncertainty, administration officials later insisted that Trump was not referring to the new sanctions on North Korea that his administration rolled out just a day before. Instead, the officials claimed, the president was declaring that he was opposing not-yet-announced sanctions on Pyongyang.
Trump’s sudden tweet left the White House groping for an explanation for much of Friday, telling reporters only that Trump “likes” North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
“It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea,” Trump tweeted. “I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!”...
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/22/trump-north-korea-sanctions-remove-123...
Trump surprises his own aides by reversing North Korea sanctions
ANDREW RESTUCCIA and CAITLIN OPRYSKO | 03/22/2019
PALM BEACH, Florida — President Donald Trump on Friday set off widespread confusion across the administration when he appeared to announce that he would undo recently imposed sanctions on North Korea.
Following hours of uncertainty, administration officials later insisted that Trump was not referring to the new sanctions on North Korea that his administration rolled out just a day before. Instead, the officials claimed, the president was declaring that he was opposing not-yet-announced sanctions on Pyongyang.
Trump’s sudden tweet left the White House groping for an explanation for much of Friday, telling reporters only that Trump “likes” North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
“It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea,” Trump tweeted. “I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!”...
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/22/trump-north-korea-sanctions-remove-123...
50margd
After Trump spoke with Putin?
Trump says Kim Jong Un ‘knows that I am with him’ after North Korea launches unidentified projectiles
Spencer Kimball | 5/4/2019
Key Points
Trump said he believes the North’s Kim Jong Un will do nothing to interfere with the “great economic potential” of his country.
“He also knows that I am with him & does not want to break his promise to me,” Trump said. “Deal will happen!”
Hours earlier, Pyongyang had launched several unidentified, short-range vertical objects, according to the South Korean military.
A South Korean military official told NBC News the projectiles were not ballistic missiles.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/04/trump-says-kim-jong-un-does-not-want-to-break-hi...
Trump says Kim Jong Un ‘knows that I am with him’ after North Korea launches unidentified projectiles
Spencer Kimball | 5/4/2019
Key Points
Trump said he believes the North’s Kim Jong Un will do nothing to interfere with the “great economic potential” of his country.
“He also knows that I am with him & does not want to break his promise to me,” Trump said. “Deal will happen!”
Hours earlier, Pyongyang had launched several unidentified, short-range vertical objects, according to the South Korean military.
A South Korean military official told NBC News the projectiles were not ballistic missiles.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/04/trump-says-kim-jong-un-does-not-want-to-break-hi...
51mamzel
re: North Korea
The country is 1.36m tonnes of food short following a series of weather disasters, compounded by longstanding international sanctions.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48150205
Go ahead and shoot your "short-range vertical objects" Mr. Kim. Let your country starve to death. I grieve for them.
I could kick myself for not saving the satellite video which went around the world several times. It was easy to spot North Korea at night because it was a completely black area between South Korea and China. Not even the major cities were lit.
The country is 1.36m tonnes of food short following a series of weather disasters, compounded by longstanding international sanctions.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48150205
Go ahead and shoot your "short-range vertical objects" Mr. Kim. Let your country starve to death. I grieve for them.
I could kick myself for not saving the satellite video which went around the world several times. It was easy to spot North Korea at night because it was a completely black area between South Korea and China. Not even the major cities were lit.
52proximity1
>51 mamzel: (North Korea) ... is 1.36m tonnes of food short following a series of weather disasters, compounded by longstanding international sanctions ....
So what's "our" excuse?
Like photos? Like video?
Have a look.
Photo cut-line: "As the number of working poor grows, soup kitchens and food pantries can't keep up."
(Credit: Greg Vojtko/Wikimedia Commons)
More Working New Yorkers Facing Hunger | Andrea Sears, Public News Service, NY
November 25, 2015
NEW YORK - The working poor in New York City and the state are facing a growing epidemic of hunger, according to a new report.
The report from the New York City Coalition Against Hunger found that six years after the official end of the recession, one in five New York City kids doesn't have enough to eat, and half the food pantries and soup kitchens don't have the resources to meet the growing need.
Joel Berg, director of the Coalition, said the problem isn't confined to the city.
"Three million people live in food-insecure households statewide, and the number is 48 million nationwide," he said. "This really is truly a national problem."
... ...
_________________________________
53margd
One can't forget the 1994-98 famine when North Koreans ate grass and young children died in the thousands.
Sounds like climate change providing the precipitating events this time.
Ten million North Koreans suffering severe food shortages: UN
UN agencies say the East Asian country has had the worst harvest in a decade.
3 May 2019
Four in 10 North Koreans are chronically short of food and further cuts to already minimal rations are expected after the worst harvest in a decade, the United Nations said on Friday.
Official rations are down to 300 grammes - under 11 ounces - per person per day, the lowest ever for this time of year, the UN said following a food security assessment based on UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) missions to the country last month and in November 2018.
It found that 10.1 million people were suffering from severe food insecurity, "meaning they do not have enough food till the next harvest," WFP spokesman Herve Verhoosel said.
North Korea's population is around 25.2 million, according to its Central Bureau of Statistics, Friday's UN report said.
...The shortfall is the result of climatic conditions such as "dry spells, heatwaves and flooding" as well as a lack of fuel and fertilisers - in part caused by international sanctions aimed at getting leader Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear weapons programme...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/ten-million-north-koreans-suffering-sever...
Sounds like climate change providing the precipitating events this time.
Ten million North Koreans suffering severe food shortages: UN
UN agencies say the East Asian country has had the worst harvest in a decade.
3 May 2019
Four in 10 North Koreans are chronically short of food and further cuts to already minimal rations are expected after the worst harvest in a decade, the United Nations said on Friday.
Official rations are down to 300 grammes - under 11 ounces - per person per day, the lowest ever for this time of year, the UN said following a food security assessment based on UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) missions to the country last month and in November 2018.
It found that 10.1 million people were suffering from severe food insecurity, "meaning they do not have enough food till the next harvest," WFP spokesman Herve Verhoosel said.
North Korea's population is around 25.2 million, according to its Central Bureau of Statistics, Friday's UN report said.
...The shortfall is the result of climatic conditions such as "dry spells, heatwaves and flooding" as well as a lack of fuel and fertilisers - in part caused by international sanctions aimed at getting leader Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear weapons programme...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/ten-million-north-koreans-suffering-sever...
54margd
US seizes North Korean coal vessel accused of violating sanctions
5/9/2019
In an unusual civil forfeiture action, the US Department of Justice announced on Thursday it has seized a major cargo vessel belonging to North Korea known as the "Wise Honest", which officials allege violated United States and United Nations sanctions by illicitly shipping coal from North Korea.
The ship, which was first confiscated by other foreign maritime authorities in Indonesia in April 2018, is now in US possession and is currently approaching US territorial waters, a Justice Department official said.
The 17,061-tonne ship, which was also used to deliver heavy machinery to North Korea, is one of the country's largest bulk carriers, the Justice Department said.
The case marks the first time the US has seized a North Korean cargo vessel for violating sanctions.
"Our office uncovered North Korea's scheme to export tonnes of high-grade coal to foreign buyers by concealing the origin of their ship, the Wise Honest," US lawyer Geoffrey Berman said in a statement.
"This scheme not only allowed North Korea to evade sanctions, but the Wise Honest was also used to import heavy machinery to North Korea," Berman added.
According to UN sanctions monitors, the Wise Honest was transporting 25,500 tonnes of coal when it was detained by Indonesia in April 2018.
The UN report estimated that the value of the ship's coal cargo was around three million dollars.
"This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service," John Demers, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said in a statement.
The announcement of the seizure comes at a delicate moment between the two countries. Hours earlier, North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles in an apparent sign of trouble for nuclear disarmament talks.
They came less than a week after North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of multiple rockets and a missile...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/seizes-north-korean-coal-vessel-accused-v...
5/9/2019
In an unusual civil forfeiture action, the US Department of Justice announced on Thursday it has seized a major cargo vessel belonging to North Korea known as the "Wise Honest", which officials allege violated United States and United Nations sanctions by illicitly shipping coal from North Korea.
The ship, which was first confiscated by other foreign maritime authorities in Indonesia in April 2018, is now in US possession and is currently approaching US territorial waters, a Justice Department official said.
The 17,061-tonne ship, which was also used to deliver heavy machinery to North Korea, is one of the country's largest bulk carriers, the Justice Department said.
The case marks the first time the US has seized a North Korean cargo vessel for violating sanctions.
"Our office uncovered North Korea's scheme to export tonnes of high-grade coal to foreign buyers by concealing the origin of their ship, the Wise Honest," US lawyer Geoffrey Berman said in a statement.
"This scheme not only allowed North Korea to evade sanctions, but the Wise Honest was also used to import heavy machinery to North Korea," Berman added.
According to UN sanctions monitors, the Wise Honest was transporting 25,500 tonnes of coal when it was detained by Indonesia in April 2018.
The UN report estimated that the value of the ship's coal cargo was around three million dollars.
"This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service," John Demers, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said in a statement.
The announcement of the seizure comes at a delicate moment between the two countries. Hours earlier, North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles in an apparent sign of trouble for nuclear disarmament talks.
They came less than a week after North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of multiple rockets and a missile...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/seizes-north-korean-coal-vessel-accused-v...
55margd
North Korea Executes Its Special Envoy to U.S., Officials Involved in Trump-Kim Summit: Report
Julia Arciga | 05.30.19
Pyongyang’s special envoy to the U.S. and four other foreign ministry officials are said to have been executed in an airport after the February summit collapsed.
North Korea has reportedly executed its special envoy to the U.S. and four other Foreign Ministry officials after the February U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi didn’t work out.
According to Reuters, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reports that Kim Hyok Chol—who had served as U.S. special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun’s counterpart in the run-up to the Hanoi summit—and the other officials were charged with spying and executed at Mirim Airport shortly after the summit.
Kim Yong Chol, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s counterpart prior to the summit, was reportedly subjected to “forced labor and ideological education” in Jagang Province. Negotiator Kim Song Hye, who worked with Kim Hyok Chol during the summit, and interpreter Shin Hye Yong are said to have been sent to a political prison camp—the latter for supposedly making a mistake while interpreting.
An anonymous South Korean official also told the newspaper that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made his sister, Kim Yo Jong, “lie low” after she aided him in the summit...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/north-korea-executes-its-special-envoy-to-us-offic...
Julia Arciga | 05.30.19
Pyongyang’s special envoy to the U.S. and four other foreign ministry officials are said to have been executed in an airport after the February summit collapsed.
North Korea has reportedly executed its special envoy to the U.S. and four other Foreign Ministry officials after the February U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi didn’t work out.
According to Reuters, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reports that Kim Hyok Chol—who had served as U.S. special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun’s counterpart in the run-up to the Hanoi summit—and the other officials were charged with spying and executed at Mirim Airport shortly after the summit.
Kim Yong Chol, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s counterpart prior to the summit, was reportedly subjected to “forced labor and ideological education” in Jagang Province. Negotiator Kim Song Hye, who worked with Kim Hyok Chol during the summit, and interpreter Shin Hye Yong are said to have been sent to a political prison camp—the latter for supposedly making a mistake while interpreting.
An anonymous South Korean official also told the newspaper that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made his sister, Kim Yo Jong, “lie low” after she aided him in the summit...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/north-korea-executes-its-special-envoy-to-us-offic...
57LolaWalser
Fascist minds think alike. Does anyone suspect Trump wouldn't enjoy shooting his subs in this way? He told y'all straight in your faces not just about getting dirt from Russia, but that he can get away with murder on Fifth Avenue, that punching reporters and opponents in general is something he'd like to do, that police should be rough, that murderous Nazis can be very fine people. His pals dismembered a man alive and the living turd didn't even blink.
58davidgn
>55 margd: Not so fast.
The BBC still has its uses.
North Korea execution reports - why we should be cautious
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48477248
cf. also "b"'s take, with another example of how untrustworthy these reports can be. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/05/death-and-resurrection-in-north-korea.html
Of course, by prevailing standard and sentiment, this must make the BBC a bunch of "Kim-ists"
The BBC still has its uses.
North Korea execution reports - why we should be cautious
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48477248
....But there is a reason we treat reports about North Korean officials being executed with extreme caution. The claims are incredibly difficult to verify and they are very often wrong.
Both the South Korean media and the government in Seoul have reported on purges in the past - only for the "executed" officials to turn up a few weeks later looking alive and well next to the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
On this occasion, a single anonymous source has told a newspaper in Seoul that Kim Hyok-chol, the former North Korean envoy to the US and a key figure in talks ahead of the summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump in Hanoi, was executed at an airport in Pyongyang.
It's also alleged that Kim Yong-chol, the North Korean leader's right hand man who was despatched to Washington to help arrange the Hanoi summit, has now been sent to a labour and re-education camp near the Chinese border.
The source claims that he was punished alongside four other foreign ministry executives. They were all charged with spying for the US and poorly reporting on the negotiations without properly grasping US intentions.
The report is plausible. These key officials have been out of the public eye since the summit in February. Kim Jong-un is clearly angry at the outcome of his talks with Donald Trump and may have been looking for someone to blame.
...
Kim Jong-un has carried out executions in the past....But so often these reports have turned out to be, dare I say it, fake news.
The most (in)famous of these was the alleged death of singer Hyon Song-wol. In 2013, the same South Korean newspaper announced that she had been shot in a "hail of machine gun fire while members of her orchestra looked on".
Last year, Hyon Song-wol swept into Seoul leading a visiting North Korean delegation ahead of the Winter Olympics looking rather glamorous in a fur coat and very much alive. She is now one of the most powerful women in North Korea.
cf. also "b"'s take, with another example of how untrustworthy these reports can be. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/05/death-and-resurrection-in-north-korea.html
Of course, by prevailing standard and sentiment, this must make the BBC a bunch of "Kim-ists"
59LolaWalser
That's a relief. The missing people could just be stowed away in a gulag somewhere instead of dead. Whew.
60davidgn
>59 LolaWalser: Or perhaps attending an art performance with Kim Jong Un.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/03/asia/north-korea-diplomats-intl/index.html
The point is, the truth of such matters bears an unknown relation to what gets printed in the papers.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/03/asia/north-korea-diplomats-intl/index.html
The point is, the truth of such matters bears an unknown relation to what gets printed in the papers.
61LolaWalser
I'm sure the subs who let him down are his first choice for hanging out.
62lriley
Every time Trump for whatever goofy reason walks away from the table Kim is going to kill some of his underlings--maybe torture and/or gulag some others. Maybe he makes them draw straws. Still he's a nice guy if you really get to know and hang out with him. MBS is another pretty much like that. Just don't get on his wrong side.
I think sometimes Donald likes hanging out with characters like this because that's exactly what he aspires to be. Kind of birds of the same feather.
I think sometimes Donald likes hanging out with characters like this because that's exactly what he aspires to be. Kind of birds of the same feather.
63margd
Dan Byman @dbyman (Georgetown U) | 7:03 AM · Aug 22, 2019:
This is what happens when the US won’t lead:
South Korea Says It Will Scrap Intelligence-Sharing Deal With Japan
Choe Sang-Hun and Motoko Rich | Aug. 22, 2019
South Korea said on Thursday that it would abandon a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, a move that dramatically escalates tensions between the two countries and offers fresh evidence of the United States’ declining presence in the region.
The South Korean decision on the security agreement — a pact the United States had pushed in part to ensure tight monitoring of North Korea’s missile activity — had been awaited as a barometer of relations between Seoul and Tokyo, America’s two closest Asian allies.
Those ties had reached their lowest point in years after Tokyo imposed a series of trade restrictions earlier this month targeting South Korea’s major exports. Japan took further action against Seoul by removing it from a list of trusted trade partners, and South Korea responded in kind...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/world/asia/south-korea-japan-intelligence.htm...
This is what happens when the US won’t lead:
South Korea Says It Will Scrap Intelligence-Sharing Deal With Japan
Choe Sang-Hun and Motoko Rich | Aug. 22, 2019
South Korea said on Thursday that it would abandon a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, a move that dramatically escalates tensions between the two countries and offers fresh evidence of the United States’ declining presence in the region.
The South Korean decision on the security agreement — a pact the United States had pushed in part to ensure tight monitoring of North Korea’s missile activity — had been awaited as a barometer of relations between Seoul and Tokyo, America’s two closest Asian allies.
Those ties had reached their lowest point in years after Tokyo imposed a series of trade restrictions earlier this month targeting South Korea’s major exports. Japan took further action against Seoul by removing it from a list of trusted trade partners, and South Korea responded in kind...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/world/asia/south-korea-japan-intelligence.htm...
64margd
Al @deepbluethinker | 6:40 PM · Nov 15, 2019
...check out korea. They had no ambassador for over a year. During that time Trump asked kim to be his seoul mate.
Today kim still shooting rockets and building bombs. US discontinued military exercises. Now wants 5x the $ or we leave.
Extortion of friends
...check out korea. They had no ambassador for over a year. During that time Trump asked kim to be his seoul mate.
Today kim still shooting rockets and building bombs. US discontinued military exercises. Now wants 5x the $ or we leave.
Extortion of friends
65lriley
#64--that was a major subject in the Woodward book on Trump--Fear. The Generals and any number of his staff and cabinet heads strongly urging him (sometimes stealing papers off his desk) not to pull out of South Korea. When some bug gets into his brain it never leaves. The reasons given for not pulling out are all antithetical to the reasons why Trump would pull out. Trump sees everything as transactional in terms of money or services rendered--not that he's good at paying up for services. He thinks in terms of an unethical businessman. What Kim says he's giving him (because the American people aren't really in the equation) maybe nobody knows.
66margd
Frida Ghitis @FridaGhitis | 4:28 PM · Dec 9, 2019
Trump gives into Kim’s threat. Cancels UN Security Council meeting on North Korean Human Rights abuses.
Quote Tweet
The Japan Times @japantimes · 9h
U.S. backs out of UNSC meeting over North Korea's human rights, instead wants look at 'provocation' threat
AP | Dec 10, 2019
UNITED NATIONS – The United States changed its mind and is now refusing to sign a letter that would have authorized the U.N. Security Council to hold a meeting Tuesday on the human rights situation in North Korea, diplomats said Monday.
Without support from the United States, European and other countries that wanted the U.N.’s most powerful body to discuss human rights in North Korea can’t go ahead because they are now one vote short of the minimum nine “yes” votes required, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions were private.
North Korean U.N. Ambassador Kim Song sent a letter to all 14 council members except the U.S. on Dec. 4 warning that holding a meeting on its human rights would be “another serious provocation” resulting from America’s “hostile policy.” Kim said a meeting would increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the North would “respond strongly to the last.”
A U.S. State Department spokesperson, asked about the human rights meeting, said the U.S. Mission to the United Nations will seek a council discussion this week including “a comprehensive update on recent developments on the Korean Peninsula including recent missile launches and the possibility of an escalatory … provocation” by North Korea...
http://jtim.es/jIKS30q0pAi
Trump gives into Kim’s threat. Cancels UN Security Council meeting on North Korean Human Rights abuses.
Quote Tweet
The Japan Times @japantimes · 9h
U.S. backs out of UNSC meeting over North Korea's human rights, instead wants look at 'provocation' threat
AP | Dec 10, 2019
UNITED NATIONS – The United States changed its mind and is now refusing to sign a letter that would have authorized the U.N. Security Council to hold a meeting Tuesday on the human rights situation in North Korea, diplomats said Monday.
Without support from the United States, European and other countries that wanted the U.N.’s most powerful body to discuss human rights in North Korea can’t go ahead because they are now one vote short of the minimum nine “yes” votes required, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions were private.
North Korean U.N. Ambassador Kim Song sent a letter to all 14 council members except the U.S. on Dec. 4 warning that holding a meeting on its human rights would be “another serious provocation” resulting from America’s “hostile policy.” Kim said a meeting would increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the North would “respond strongly to the last.”
A U.S. State Department spokesperson, asked about the human rights meeting, said the U.S. Mission to the United Nations will seek a council discussion this week including “a comprehensive update on recent developments on the Korean Peninsula including recent missile launches and the possibility of an escalatory … provocation” by North Korea...
http://jtim.es/jIKS30q0pAi
672wonderY
North Korea blows up joint liaison office with South in Kaesong
North Korea has blown up its joint liaison office with the South near the border town of Kaesong, South Korean officials say.
The move comes just hours after the North renewed threats of military action at the Korean border.
The site, which is in the North's territory, was opened in 2018 to help the two Koreas to communicate.
The liaison office has been empty since January due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Tensions between North and South Korea have been escalating for weeks, prompted by defector groups in the south sending propaganda across the border.
The North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo-jong, threatened to demolish the office in a statement at the weekend.
South Korea's Unification Ministry in Seoul confirmed that at 14:49 local time there was an explosion.
North Korea has blown up its joint liaison office with the South near the border town of Kaesong, South Korean officials say.
The move comes just hours after the North renewed threats of military action at the Korean border.
The site, which is in the North's territory, was opened in 2018 to help the two Koreas to communicate.
The liaison office has been empty since January due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Tensions between North and South Korea have been escalating for weeks, prompted by defector groups in the south sending propaganda across the border.
The North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo-jong, threatened to demolish the office in a statement at the weekend.
South Korea's Unification Ministry in Seoul confirmed that at 14:49 local time there was an explosion.
68margd
Bob Woodward's new book details letters between Trump and Kim Jong-un
Rebecca Falconer | 8/12/2020
Journalist Bob Woodward has obtained "25 personal letters exchanged" between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for his new book, "Rage," publisher Simon & Schuster revealed on Wednesday.
Details: In the letters, "Kim describes the bond between the two leaders as out of a 'fantasy film,' as the two leaders engage in an extraordinary diplomatic minuet," according to a description of the book posted on Amazon*...
https://www.axios.com/bob-woodward-book-25-letters-trump-kim-jong-un-c8604cfa-0d...
* Release date is Sept 15 and already a bestseller.
Rebecca Falconer | 8/12/2020
Journalist Bob Woodward has obtained "25 personal letters exchanged" between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for his new book, "Rage," publisher Simon & Schuster revealed on Wednesday.
Details: In the letters, "Kim describes the bond between the two leaders as out of a 'fantasy film,' as the two leaders engage in an extraordinary diplomatic minuet," according to a description of the book posted on Amazon*...
https://www.axios.com/bob-woodward-book-25-letters-trump-kim-jong-un-c8604cfa-0d...
* Release date is Sept 15 and already a bestseller.
69margd
North Korea said on Friday that it had conducted tests of an underwater nuclear weapons system.
DW | 01/19/2024
Claims of the underwater nuclear weapons system test come as the US, South Korea and Japan conducted joint naval drills.
..State-run agency KCNA reported that the test of the "Haeil-5-23" drone system was conducted off its east coast without specifying when the tests took place.
The reported weapons test could not be independently verified, but analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang does indeed have such a weapon.
"Haeil" means tsunami and the system was designed, according to state media, to make surprise attacks targeting naval strike groups and major ports by creating a large radioactive wave from a sub-aquatic explosion.
The first tests of the drone system reportedly took place in March 2023...
https://www.dw.com/en/north-korea-says-it-conducted-underwater-nuclear-drone-tes...
DW | 01/19/2024
Claims of the underwater nuclear weapons system test come as the US, South Korea and Japan conducted joint naval drills.
..State-run agency KCNA reported that the test of the "Haeil-5-23" drone system was conducted off its east coast without specifying when the tests took place.
The reported weapons test could not be independently verified, but analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang does indeed have such a weapon.
"Haeil" means tsunami and the system was designed, according to state media, to make surprise attacks targeting naval strike groups and major ports by creating a large radioactive wave from a sub-aquatic explosion.
The first tests of the drone system reportedly took place in March 2023...
https://www.dw.com/en/north-korea-says-it-conducted-underwater-nuclear-drone-tes...
70margd
Kim Jong Un: Is North Korea's leader actually considering war?
Frances Mao | 23 January 2024
..While it's important for South Korea, the US and allies to prepare for the worst-case scenario, it is also worth a thorough examination of the internal situation in North Korea and the wider geopolitics, analysts say.
At the end of the day, the best way to find out what the North's leader is thinking is to engage with him, argues {Dr Seong-Hyon Lee, from the George HW Bush Foundation for US-China relations}. "The international community does not see the US talking to Kim Jong Un as surrendering to Kim Jong Un's threats. It is seen as a necessary means to achieve a goal...If necessary, one should consider meeting with the leader of an enemy nation to reduce misjudgements and prevent war."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68052515
Frances Mao | 23 January 2024
..While it's important for South Korea, the US and allies to prepare for the worst-case scenario, it is also worth a thorough examination of the internal situation in North Korea and the wider geopolitics, analysts say.
At the end of the day, the best way to find out what the North's leader is thinking is to engage with him, argues {Dr Seong-Hyon Lee, from the George HW Bush Foundation for US-China relations}. "The international community does not see the US talking to Kim Jong Un as surrendering to Kim Jong Un's threats. It is seen as a necessary means to achieve a goal...If necessary, one should consider meeting with the leader of an enemy nation to reduce misjudgements and prevent war."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68052515
