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Analysis
Analysis Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events
This post has been updated with the White House's response.
President Trump took to the floor of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday and, in his maiden speech there, called the leader of North Korea “Rocket Man,” decried “loser terrorists” and said certain parts of the world are “in fact, going to hell.”
But Trump's perhaps oddly chosen colloquialisms masked what was a pretty astounding escalation of his rhetoric when it comes to North Korea. Just to be clear: The president of the United States threatened to wipe a country of 25 million people off the map.
“Now North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life,” Trump said. He later added: “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself.”
Trump's rhetoric on North Korea has been very tough before. He turned heads last month by threatening to unleash “fire and fury” if North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, threatened the United States. But Trump's speech Tuesday ratcheted things up in two respects: saying the United States would also unleash a massive response on behalf of its allies , and threatening to “totally destroy” the country.
“Fire and fury” could be interpreted as a threat to simply remove Kim and his government; “totally destroy North Korea” seems to be a signal to the North Korean people that they, too, could face annihilation alongside their government leaders. It sounds a lot like Trump is threatening a completely unprecedented effort to wipe out an entire nation, whether through nuclear weapons or more conventional means. It's a remarkably big statement, and the White House will undoubtedly be asked to clarify.
It's also different from the “fire and fury” comment in that this was Trump delivering a prepared speech, in which his words were undoubtedly pored over extensively beforehand. The White House acknowledged after Trump made the “fire and fury” comments that they were ad-libbed , and analysts generally agreed that perhaps the commander in chief got a little carried away and became hyperbolic — as he tends to do.
After the speech, the White House seemed to try to downplay the novelty of Trump's threat, comparing it to what then-President Obama said last year. " We could, obviously, destroy North Korea with our arsenals ," Obama said.
Presidents have always been clear to deter threats: “We could, obviously, destroy North Korea with our arsenals” - @BarackObama last year
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) September 19, 2017
But in context, Obama was actually making the case against that, adding: "But aside from the humanitarian costs of that, they are right next door to our vital ally, Republic of Korea." Obama also wasn't making a threat so much as registering a statement of fact. Trump was saying the United States might "have no choice" but to do what Obama was merely saying the U.S. was capable of.
Trump's address to the United Nations on Tuesday should erase any doubts that he is threatening a completely unprecedented military strike against North Korea. This seems to be Trump even more fully embracing the so-called Madman Theory, in which he makes himself so unpredictable that other world leaders fear setting him off.
But that approach isn't without its downsides. Retired Gen. David Petraeus described it thusly a few days back :
There is some merit to this. You can argue perhaps there is some merit to it in international relations, although it obviously can go too far. My concern there with the so-called “madman theory” — that actually [Richard] Nixon put forward through Kissinger where he had Kissinger tell the Soviets, “You know, Nixon's under a lot of pressure right now and, you know, he drinks at night sometimes, so you guys ought to be real careful. Don't push this into a crisis.” There may, again, be some merit into the madman theory until you get in a crisis. But you do not want the other side thinking you are irrational in a crisis. You do not want the other side thinking that you might be sufficiently irrational to conduct a first strike or to do something, you know, so-called “unthinkable.”
Polls show the American people are not confident in Trump's ability to handle the North Korea situation, with 61 percent saying they are “uneasy.” Trump's words Tuesday likely won't calm many fears, but he's clearly gambling on North Korea backing down in the face of big talk.
“totally destroy North Korea” seems to be a signal to the North Korean people that they, too, could face annihilation alongside their government leaders. It sounds a lot like Trump is threatening a completely unprecedented effort to wipe out an entire nation, whether through nuclear weapons or more conventional means. It's a remarkably big statement, and the White House will undoubtedly be asked to clarify.
Donald Trump doesn't know what he is doing. He wings his entire presidency.
The kill them all talk may appeal to some of his base, so he approves of Miller or whoever writing it into his speech. To Trump, there are no consequences to anything he says. if his words are received poorly he will just make new words tomorrow.
I'm sure Kim is quaking his boots ... as he readies the next volley.
I suppose that not taking into consideration the 50 million people in South Korea and thousands of Americans, plus the damage that NK could do to Japan never entered his mind.
Oh, and of course there are those two little countries with small military, China and Russia you don't have to consider either.
I'm VERY uneasy of Trump's handling of this crisis!
What would you have rather him said? I guess I don't hear "forced to defend" and assume first strike. As far as the public not having confidence goes...the public also wasn't going to vote for Trump by a wide margin. Regardless, I don't have real confidence that anyone could handle North Korea.
What would you have rather him said? I guess I don't hear "forced to defend" and assume first strike.
Well considering the fact that the US has spent millions on DEFENSIVE systems deployed all over the area, I would have rather him say that we are prepared to defend ourselves and our allies.
Secondly, there used to be a concept of 'proportional response'. That has obviously gone out the window.
45 believes fake news more than reality. For all we know, Fox and Friends will motivate him to annihilate NK tomorrow morning.
Let's see. Lil Kim has threatened Japan, Guam and the U.S. Yes, interesting to see his response.
When has this not been US policy?
For those of you who still believe in context, let's examine the entire sentence.
From the article:
“Now North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life,” Trump said. He later added: “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.
1)He correctly points out that NK's nuke program threatens the entire world. The fallout from a nuclear strike would have dire consequences on a large swatch of heavily populated territory/territories.
2)Our country is a patient country when it comes to armed conflict. We have been stuck in quagmires, but we generally do not jump in unless threatened. This sounds like a defensive posture, not an offensive threat.
3)We also have the most powerful armed forces in the world.
4)Ok, now let's read together, shall we?
but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.
So let's discuss what would "force us to defend ourselves". The last time we were attacked by another country was 12/7/41. The government of Japan engaged us in an act of war. We were not prepared, and so it took a number of years, as well as good fortune, to turn things around for us.
Today, we have been directly threatened by another country. If they attack us, it is an act of war. If they follow through, I hope we react swiftly and decisively to neutralize the enemy, EVEN IF IT MEANS total destruction.
I'm sure that there are those who, if they witnessed a nuclear attack against our country, would choose to "condemn this heinous act in the strongest possible terms". To them, I say "not for me".
Trump is playing checkers in a game of chess. One narcissistic idiot matching the bombastic rhetoric of another one just makes the rest of the world uncomfortable. There are terrorist organizations that would push the button in a hot second if they had a button to push, and I'm sure that they would love to cozy up to NK over their equal hatred for the US. It's certainly not healthy to flame this fire.
I wish you would re-read what Jonathan posted.
Re-read?
In order to re-read something, you must first read it once.
What did I not read? You are condoning every word of Trump's, and I'm saying that he went too far. It's fine to warn about retaliation, but "total destruction" was unnecessary. That is no better than the flowery bullshit that NK likes to puke up every day.
I never have condoned every word Pres. Trump speaks, but this time, maybe, just maybe, Kim will take heed.
Take heed? No, my guess is that Kim will perceive this as evidence that his tactics are working, and fire off some more missiles. Kim knows that Trump painted himself into a corner, now he's going to provoke him to the point he says more and more aggressive things that could turn others against the US.
Doubtful, magnoliaave. Kim's ego, ignorance of the real world and feeling of superiority at this point will only allow him to see Trump's words as a challenge. A challenge that he will certainly not back away from. To him, the N Korean people are a burden that he obviously cares nothing about. And if they all die as a result of his imperious actions, big deal. They are just a drain on the country anyway in his mind.
As I see it, Kim is hoping that the US will take aggressive action first so that China will then have to step in to support him. He has no intention of engaging in any peace agreement or giving up his 'superior power' of nuclear weapons, and has no aversion to using them at will.
We as a people can only pray that such a war will not happen, but, there is little hope at this point that Kim will back down, or that China will take any preemptive action against N Korea.
Just my thoughts.
They are making the assumption that Trump was threatening 'Rocket Man' on the basis that our response would be after a nuclear attack by North Korea on the US or it's allies.
What if Rocket Man attacks Guam, landing missiles in the waters close by, but off the island. Will we totally destroy North Korea? What if Rocket Man makes a non nuclear attack on Japan? Will we totally destroy North Korea?
The president of the United States should be accurate and measured in his language. Such a thing is impossible for Donald Trump.
Reporting said that he read entirely from the script which means to me that others had input into his speech.
This is a terrible situation. What do we do?
He shoots off another missile closer to Guam. Do we wait for it to land on Guam? Japan has to decide for Japan.
Raven Wing.....he doesn't care about his people,
There is so much going on.....four hurricanes, three earthquakes and NK.
What if a NK missile veers off course and ends up making an unintended (possibly even harmless) landfall anywhere? Let's not forget that they are still perfecting their technology.
Some didn't go far enough, and Millions have died over the decades due to NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH QUICKER. What is "TO FAR" anyway.....Actual Shooting ?
Seems Miss Piggy from NK is already doing the "Shooting".
I don't disagree too much Raven. Kim will act first. He expects China to be there when he does. The question is, do Trumps words encourage him? When did North Korea test its first nuke? Who was President of the US then? What actions were taken? Did they work? What did the UN do? Did it work? Has North Korea stopped doing what it is that the entire world wishes it would stop doing?
Point is, soft words and UN sanctions haven't done much. I would say that nobody wants war, but I don't believe that. There are obviously some that do. Trump isn't one of that number. Kim is unhinged. He's proven BS talk and UN sanctions mean little to nothing to him, because he has known nothing will come of his actions. Perhaps some stronger warning is what is needed. That said, Kim won't stop, IMO. He's got one thing on his side, the notion that nobody wants a nuclear war.
I tend to agree with you on Kim not baking down. Kim is now like a spoiled child that has a new toy that he just has to show the world how it works. Add to that he enjoys knowing he is the only one who can control it. He has been given the benefit of doubt, and the chance to change course, however, he is determined to play the game of chicken with the world thinking he is invincible. And as long a China continues to support his actions he sees no reason to change course.
True, no one wants a war of mass destruction such as a nuclear war, as there will be very high costs on all sides. However.......if given no other choice, not only the US but other countries as well will step up to the plate and do what is necessary to end Kim's game.
Also, there are ways to be strong worded without antagonizing the other side even further with bombastic threats. With the way Trump is talking, Kim can't help be see it as his being dared to fire the first shot. I don't know who is feeding the arrogant egos on both sides, but, they will be the ones responsible if a war does come about.
Although, the US will never waver to protect our country and its people, and our allies when push comes to shove.
China made it very clear that if NK acts first, it will not support it. Only if the US takes the first step will it back NK. If Kim did not understand what China said it is his, and his country's, funeral.
I wish he would read it once. lol
Right, I think that's the unhinged part. What he expects, and what is, may be two different things.
My take is that the US military would not annihilate N Korea. If we that kind of people we could have completely wiped out the entire Japanese island with the H bombs during WWII without any regard to human life.
But, we aren't that kind of human beings. Instead, if the US took retaliatory action against N Korea they would likely aim for the most important areas to take out the missiles first to disarm Kim's ability to make further assaults. As in all wars, the loss of innocent lives would be very costly.
The more pressure China puts on Kim try to rein him him, the more they fear he will turn on them as well. And anyone around Kim that might try to talk some common sense into him is sure to lose their life in a heartbeat, so they surround him with false adoration to preserve their own lives.
Kim reminds me some of Mussolini, strutting around like a king rooster in a hen house when he knew he had Germany's backing. That is how I see Kim knowing he has China at his back.
Just my own take on it.
Trump stood up in front of a room full of diplomats to give the most undiplomatic, ignorant, counterproductive speech possible. He must have been directing it at his own base because he couldn't possibly think that it would do anything but infuriate Kim. As I understand it, Kim's major problem with us is that our foreign policy toward his country has (since the Korean War) always been some kind of a threat.
Threatening the entire country with genocide will make it much easier for Kim to mobilize the population behind him. Russia and China will find it more difficult to reign Kim in if he can say that Trump just threatened to murder them all. China doesn't want a nuclear NK but they like the idea of us on their doorstep even less (whether we do it through invasion or the unification of Korea). Kim will never back down under a Trump threat . . . if nothing else, the Asian concept of losing face would force him to stand his ground.
Russia and China (and many others) want us to restart the six party talks not restart the Korean War. Trump drew a line in the sand and Kim will surely step over it. Then what? If we attack NK (other than in clear self-defense), China (and possibly Russia) will intervene, the war will grind to a halt like it did before, both sides will withdraw, and we'll be right back where we started (give or take a hundred thousand casualties).
Our foreign policy should be crafted to do more than get Trump's base to clap like seals.
That's why people like Trump. He doesn't pander to be liked, as 95% of the diplomats in the U.N. do. U.N. diplomats are only there for the MONEY and the grub anymore.
That's why people like Trump. He doesn't pander to be liked, as 95% of the diplomats in the U.N. do. U.N. diplomats are only there for the MONEY and the grub anymore.
Good thing Trump didn't stop by the UN to contribute anything useful, If he showed up just to entertain the the crowd, he could have shown a gif of him knocking Kim down with a golf ball and tried to get a few laughs.
I found what Trump said to the U.N. members to be very useful. He basically called them inept, which it is. Just like he called them out for their billion dollar monument to themself, when he spoke at the U.N.'s monument grand opening. Funny how ..... ALL OF A SUDDEN ...... Countries started to pony up on their obligations after that speech of Trumps. Seems he U.N. is a complacent bunch, since NO ONE has blatantly called them out before. I suppose the members should start doing their jobs instead of sitting around, getting fat and rich.
I found what Trump said to the U.N. members to be very useful. He basically called them inept . . .
Since Trump is widely regarded as a dolt, I doubt that any of the members find his opinion of them to be anything other than amusing.
Funny how ..... ALL OF A SUDDEN ...... Countries started to pony up on their obligations after that speech of Trumps. Seems he U.N. is a complacent bunch, since NO ONE has blatantly called them out before. I suppose the members should start doing their jobs instead of sitting around, getting fat and rich.
As far as I know their respective contributions are established under the charter and nothing has changed. Maybe you're talking about NATO?
Yet they Muse about his comments and adjust themselves, day in and day out.
It's fun to watch how leaders try to adjust their behaviors, and mega amusing to watch as citizens of these other countries start sounding like Trump, as failure after failure of their own leaders occur in their own countries.
Since Trump is widely regarded as a dolt, I doubt that any of the members find his opinion of them to be anything other than amusing.
Yet they Muse about his comments and adjust themselves, day in and day out. It's fun to watch how leaders try to adjust their behaviors . . .
Of course they adjust their behaviors. Everybody has to adjust when they see a big retarded kid walking down the street with a loaded shotgun threatening to kill people.
Hilarious! I like a monkey with a machinegun analogy better though!
Soooo....they ALL must have been wrong in the first place ?
Are they adjusting to defend themselves against the U.S.A. ?
Funny, how the Liberal types TRY to make stupid analogies as an argument.
Soooo....they ALL must have been wrong in the first place ?
Are they adjusting to defend themselves against the U.S.A. ?
Funny, how the Liberal types TRY to make stupid analogies as an argument.
Trump accomplished no more than he would have done if he had mooned the audience.
Mimicking someone else's comment isn't a good trait to have.
"As so far as the idiocracy that permeating from this administration, EVERY country very much needs to be in defense to his this thin skinned novice"
Another Stupid Opinion, not based in Fact.
Please supply a "LINK" showing that allies are shoring themselves up against the U.S.A. !
So cute !
Thank you sir, may I have another childish statement ?
And neither is giving non comments when you obviously have no rebuttal.
Another Stupid Opinion, not based in Fact.
Kind of like when someone claiming that other nations leaders are failing their own countries all because they are not acting like orange haired neatherthals huh?
Please supply a "LINK" showing that allies are shoring themselves up against the U.S.A. !
Is this enough, or do you need more to blatantly disregard?
Not possible literally.
Some, most, even all government buildings, Utilities, Military Installations, City blocks/sectors, etc. etc. can be destroy completely. The same when he said the little Kimmy is in a "Suicidal" mode. Something is going on, Clearly at least for me, is Code Language that little Kimmy may understand. Code Language is usually used just before something is going to happen. Obama used Code Language, to signal blacks to Riot and Loot, and that gave rise to the BLM.
Obama used Code Language, to signal blacks to Riot and Loot, and that gave rise to the BLM.
YOu make the exact same allegations, constantly.
The President says "I love America" you claim its a dog whistle to whites to signal his hatred of minorities.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Tuesday retweeted an apparent white supremacist, something he’s done multiple times this election.
width="300" height="150" frameborder="0"> The user , who goes by the name Jason Bergkamp, writes for an online publication called Vanguard 14. According to its website, the publication covers issues like “white nationalism and genocide.” Bergkamp’s bio on the site says he is a “Dutch based journalist writing about European, American and South African events.” Bergkamp has frequently tweeted pictures of scantily clad white women using the hashtag #WhiteGirlsAreMagic. Trump has shared social media posts from apparent white supremacists multiple times during his campaign. In January, the GOP front-runner retweeted a user with the handle “WhiteGenocideTM.” And in November of last year, he shared an image from a user that depicted false homicide statistics claiming that black people were killing white people at an alarming rate. A search of Trump's Twitter history showed that he has retweeted praise from the Dutch white supremacist at least six times since launching his campaign last year.Hey thanks for the info. Looks like we're dealing here with someone who speaks Code Language. Must be some carryover from Newsvine.
I have to tell ya, that is the biggest bunch of BS I have ever heard, and I have heard a lot of it here on NT over the years I've been here.
Man....some people will believe anything they are fed.
Please spend the next 10 minutes spanking yourself.
Was that supposed to be a Disprove or Refutation of what I said or just more of the same old Viners from Newsvine stuff?
What specifically was the "code" language, and what are your sources?
Is the question a Disprove or a Refutation of what I said? Or just more of the same old Newsvine Viners stuff? Or are you one of those who can spend hours at a time here with nothing better to do, than asking Asinine, Childish and Inane questions 'bout things that everyone else knows?
Very simple. You said Obama used code language to signal to the blacks to riot and loot. I am asking you what that code language was , and what are your sources for that information?
"It's pointless for them to try to develop nuclear weapons, because if they ever used them, it would be the end of their country." - Bill Clinton (talking about North Korea)
Now this was back in 1994 before Kim Jung Un became the ruler of North Korea. His father wasn't firing rockets over Japan or anything like Kim Jung Un is doing today.
Trump has his style and Clinton had his style, but both said exactly the same thing in different ways.
Now tell me ole bright ones, what did Clinton, Bush or Obama do to prevent this day from arriving?
The sooner you folks, the media, and the rest of the snowflake nation realize that Trump is not a politician, the sooner you will come to understand how he works.
His supporters didn't elect him to be a politician. They elected him because he's not. And it's time this nation put the check and balance against politicians who never have and never will have the people's interest at heart.
Get over it. He said what needed to be said.
Trump is not a politician, the sooner you will come to understand how he works.
Everyone knows Trump is not a politician, so I don't know why you would think otherwise. Secondly, you are implying that "Trump works", when it's clear that he doesn't work at all. He is as crooked as they come. Unconventional approaches to conventional problems don't 'work' just because you want to them to.
"And it's time this nation put the check and balance against politicians who never have and never will have the people's interest at heart."
The only people's interest that Donald Rump has at heart is HIS OWN.
The moment his supporters elected him, they MADE him a politician by definition.
Our nation was created with 'checks and balances' that rely on politicians to participate in the process. In fact, they take an oath to do so.
Clinton said that he thought it was pointless for NK to develop nuclear weapons because, if they ever tried to use them against us, we would destroy them. Trump said that, if we are attacked (and didn't limit it to nuclear attack), he would destroy them. In both cases, NK would be destroyed but Trump is arguably lowering the bar by implying that he will kill them all in response to any attack whether it's nuclear or not. That kind of rhetoric is unnecessarily provocative and unhelpful.
Now Kim has responded by making an unprecedented public statement, referring to Trump as a "mentally deranged dotard." Rather than persuade him to back down, Kim said that Trump's threat to destroy NK has convinced him that pursuing nuclear weapons is the correct course for NK's self-defense. NK is now threatening to detonate a hydrogen bomb over the pacific, presumably as an explosive "you can kiss my ass" response to Trump.
Meanwhile, Trump has issued an executive order allowing the treasury department to freeze assets of banks doing business with NK. That includes China who can retaliate and this whole thing escalates further.
Unfortunately, Trump's preference for threats and insults over negotiation has predictably led to brinksmanship. Kim will never back down to a threat. Trump has left himself with no other option but to follow through on his threat and possibly try and assassinate Kim in a missile strike. NK will likely immediately attack SK, whether Kim is killed or not and the Korean War will reignite.
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