U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un are engaged in a war of playing chicken threatening war with each other that would likely kill many innocent people. Part of the escalation comes from our own government and news media who have decided in the last few days to describe North Korea as a full fledged nuclear power. However, our own intelligence community says N. Korea has not reached that stage yet.
It reminds this writer of the run up to war in Iraq, only this time America and N. Korean leaders are unstable which raises the possibility that a war could break out because of miscalculation on either side. Both leaders have a big mouth and like to talk tough which mask their feelings of being inadequate, so both share some similarity. Trump and Kim Jong both like attention and are lacking the norms of civil behavior. But the attention that both seek is void of real dialog.
Kim Jong is not testing ICBM missiles with a range of 2000 plus miles because he wants to attack S. Korea, especially Seoul the capitol where 10 million people live and only 35 miles from the DMZ. The U.S. also has 20,000 troops in S. Korea who have been there since the end of the war in July 1953. S. Korea would be an easy target but Kim Jong is looking for recognition and using his missiles for that purpose. He seeks the respect of other nuclear powers. He won't obtain that respect if he launches a war and therefore will not attack the U.S. with a preemptive strike. (there are other reasons also)
Kim Jong sees a S. Korea with 20,000 U.S. troops close to the N.Korean border and the U.S. and S. Korea holding regular joint military exercise every year in a show of force. The U.S. Air Force also operates close to N. Korean territory with those military exercises. N. Korea thinks those operations are provocative, the U.S. and S. Korea disagree. N. Korea launches their missiles into the ocean, sometimes over flying S. Korea and Japan. The U.S. thinks those launches are provocative. Just last week the U.S. test launched one of its missiles that it intends to use in the missile defense being installed in S. Korea. The U.S. spoke very little about that missile test.
The U.S. tells us that S. Korea would feel the brunt of N. Korea's military power if the U.S. attacked N. Korea and that would be a disaster for S. Korea and its people. It seems our military feels that S. Korea is not a target for N.Korea to hit even though it is so near by unless the U.S. starts something. S. Korea evidently feels the same way and its new President said he would try to have a dialog with Kim Jong.
Trump's threats mirror Kim Jong's threats to the U.S. but go deeper in vowing to rain down fire and fury never seen before. (what could be worse than a nuclear war?) Trump is giving Kim Jong more attention than he deserves and makes China and Russia's military capabilities look sissy. Trump's rhetoric on N. Korea is also Trumps way of trying to deflect his major problem with the investigation of his ties to Russia. Kim Jong is the worst of the worst dictators and is brutal to his own people's civil rights and liberties. He has to be dealt with in connection with the world that will lead to a united Korea of one nation and one people.
Its very easy for an unstable leader to act irrational and lose control. Sane people with wisdom have to stand up and make their voices known to change the dialog and direction.
Note: When Trump said, he would rain down fire and fury on N. Korea was he talking about the U.S. being in possession of a Particle Beam Weapon? That is the only weapon this writer knows about that is more destructive than a nuclear bomb. That is the ultimate weapon and the weapon used by the Aliens in the movie Independence Day. In the book, The Day After Roswell, the author talks about the U.S. developing such a weapon. Did Trump reveal once again what would be Top Secret? It will be interesting to see if any one else picks up on that.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
