Reading time – 2:11; Viewing time – 3:18 . . .
North Korea launched a rocket this week that appears to have the capabilites of an intercontinental ballistic missile – that is to say, with sufficient fuel, it could span continents. Be clear that ours is the first continent to the east of North Korea.
Surely, Trump consulted his generals to learn what they saw as our options for response to North Korea’s missile launch. But given the decimation of the ranks of our State Department by Trump, what is your confidence that he also consulted our top diplomats or our State Department personnel in Seoul, South Korea before launching missiles in the face of Kim Jong-un?
We’ve been cautioned repeatedly not to pay attention to what is said by Trump administration people, but instead to pay attention to their actions. The actions related to North Korea that we’ve seen President Trump take so far include:
– sending an aircraft carrier to within striking distance of North Korea
– parking a pair of nuclear submarines off the coast of North Korea
– and firing a pair of ballistic missiles from South Korea this week
These are repeated tweaks to the nose of the infantile North Korean dictator. It’s likely he doesn’t want to be embarrassed on the world stage, so how do you imagine he will react to Trump’s actions? Exactly how is anyone now safer or more secure because of Trump’s responses?
George W. Bush famously put little stock in diplomacy, preferring instead to swagger on the world stage with a nuke tucked into each holster of his gun belt. He started wars with two countries, neither of which posed a clear and present danger to the United States, nor did either attack us, but Bush did show the world who’s boss. Donald Trump has similar disdain for the power of subtle diplomacy and he similarly blusters, wanting to be seen as macho.
While in Poland before the G20 meeting, Trump was asked about military action against North Korea. He declared, “I have some pretty severe things that we are thinking about.” That’s swagger and bluster and we are left to worry about what follows such threatening talk.
The history books are fat with the descriptions of the devastating consequences to humanity due to leaders who swagger and bluster. The difference now is that within easy reach of such leaders are intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs.
In the original Star Wars movie the three main characters take refuge in the garbage bay of an enemy star ship. Luke says that things could be worse. That’s when the walls of the bay begin to close on them and they realize they are in a trash compactor. Han Solo replies to Luke, “Things are worse.”
And so they are for the United States, as, in the absence of diplomacy, we veer ever-closer to military conflict with North Korea. Should that happen, it will be a humanitarian disaster.
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Ed. note: There is much in America that needs fixing and we are on a path to continually fail to make things better. It is my goal to make a difference – perhaps to be a catalyst for things to get better. That is the reason for these posts. To accomplish the goal requires reaching many thousands of people and a robust dialogue.
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Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
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2 Responses to Bluster and Garbage
John Calia July 8, 2017
Easy to criticize. What would you have us do?
Jack Altschuler July 8, 2017
You’re right, John, that it’s easy to criticize. If the only point of criticism were to stick a thumb in the eye of leaders, it would be valueless and possibly counter-productive. So, I have two responses.
First, diplomacy should be our first course of action. While some comments have been made in the past few days about possible diplomatic efforts regarding North Korea, this president has made it clear that he disdains diplomacy, leaving military force or the threat of it as our only option. That’s not good enough.
Second, I’m not an expert at either diplomacy or military strategy, so I cannot recommend specific actions. On the other hand, it is my right and duty as a citizen to speak up when our government appears to be bubble-headed and to call for better. That is what I’m doing and hope others will take up the call.