Story of the Week •
August 10th, 2017
Trump and North Korea
This week, tensions have increased between North Korea and America. North Korea has been testing missiles over the last several months at an increased frequency and President Trump made a statement Tuesday that any action would be met with "fire and fury" from the U.S.. He has since stated that maybe that threat didn't go far enough after North Koreans laughed it off. Some are concerned that the first move North Korea will make is against US territory Guam, only 2000 miles away in the Western Pacific Ocean, while others were not as worried.
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Snippets from the Right
Washington Examiner
"We would see massive attacks on the North's air, artillery, radar, and logistical support forces. In the first instance, the U.S. would probably hold off targeting Kim Jong Un himself, but would attempt to decapitate his senior commanders. The intent of that qualification would be to leave space for a diplomatic arrangement in which Kim Jong Un transferred power to a transitional government. Still, the U.S. would demand the transitional government was at least semi-pro American.
...
This buildup would present Kim and China with an unmistakable expression of American military supremacy. Although this power projection capability has not been manifested in many years, it remains the unique identifier of U.S. military. In turn, North Korean military figures would face one of two choices: overthrow the Kim dynasty, or die. And beyond clarifying to China that U.S. personnel would not cross the Yalu River, there would be little attention paid to Chinese political interests. From the strategic perspective, China would have burned its rights to American concern by failing to restrain their North Korean ally."
Snippets from the Center
The Hill
"President Trump on Thursday ramped up his war of words against North Korea over its nuclear program, saying his warning of “fire and fury” against the rogue nation 'may not be tough enough.'
Even as he underlined his Tuesday statement aimed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump sought to reassure anxious Americans that he has the situation under control and downplayed the notion that his administration is sending mixed messages about its response.
'Frankly, the people who were questioning that statement, was it too tough? Maybe it wasn’t tough enough,' he told reporters at his New Jersey golf club. 'They’ve been doing this to our country for a long time, for many years, and it’s about time that somebody stuck up for the people of this country and for the people of other countries.'"
Snippets from the Left
Washington Post
"In his newest remarks, Trump would not say whether he is considering a preemptive strike on North Korea. He said he remained open to negotiating with Pyongyang, but that talks over the years had done little to halt the country’s nuclear program.
...
The North Koreans effectively laughed off Trump’s 'fire and fury' threat, calling his statement 'a load of nonsense.' And they also threatened to fire missiles over the waters off Guam, a strategically-located Pacific island and home to U.S. military bases.
Asked Thursday morning whether Trump’s thinking on the North Korean nuclear crisis had evolved in the wake of the threat to Guam, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said it had not."
