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It’s Not Too Late on North Korea
NY Times ^ | AUG. 10, 2017 | SUSAN E. RICE

Posted on 08/10/2017 11:40:45 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom

North Korea’s substantial nuclear arsenal and improving intercontinental ballistic missile capacity pose a growing threat to America’s security. But we need not face an immediate crisis if we play our hand carefully.

Given the bluster emanating from Pyongyang and Bedminster, N.J., Americans can be forgiven for feeling anxious.

Shortly after adoption of new United Nations sanctions last weekend, North Korea threatened retaliation against the United States “thousands of times” over. Those sanctions were especially potent, closing loopholes and cutting off important funding for the North. August is also when the United States and South Korea conduct major joint military exercises, which always set Pyongyang on edge. In August 2015, tensions escalated into cross-border artillery exchanges after two South Korean soldiers were wounded by land mines laid by North Korea. This juxtaposition of tough sanctions and military exercises has predictably heightened North Korea’s threats.

We have long lived with successive Kims’ belligerent and colorful rhetoric — as ambassador to the United Nations in the Obama administration, I came to expect it whenever we passed resolutions. What is unprecedented and especially dangerous this time is the reaction of President Trump. Unscripted, the president said on Tuesday that if North Korea makes new threats to the United States, “they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.” These words risk tipping the Korean Peninsula into war, if the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, believes them and acts precipitously.

Either Mr. Trump is issuing an empty threat of nuclear war, which will further erode American credibility and deterrence, or he actually intends war next time Mr. Kim behaves provocatively. The first scenario is folly, but a United States decision to start a pre-emptive war on the Korean Peninsula, in the absence of an imminent threat, would be lunacy.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: innocenceofmuslims; landmines; liar; missiles; nkorea; norks; northkorea; susanrice
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

The leftist media would welcome a nuclear war if they thought it would damage Trump politically. They are completely out of their minds.


21 posted on 08/11/2017 5:53:17 AM PDT by Spok ("What're you going to believe-me or your own eyes?" -Marx (Groucho))
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To: Oshkalaboomboom


22 posted on 08/11/2017 6:08:35 AM PDT by Vlad The Inhaler (We were Trumpin' before Trumpin' was cool.....)
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

By most assessments, Mr. Kim is vicious and impetuous, but not irrational

I’d have to take exception to that!


23 posted on 08/11/2017 8:13:28 AM PDT by nobamanomore
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

All of this crap goes back to the Clintons. BJ was the one who let the chia-nork’s dad start up their “nuclear power” program again.

Between the Clintons dealings with the Russians and the NK regimes, and obama’s dealings with iran, those three made the world a much more dangerous place.


24 posted on 08/11/2017 8:56:51 AM PDT by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it. MAGA!)
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To: Oshkalaboomboom
By most assessments, Mr. Kim is vicious and impetuous, but not irrational

Is anyone else catching this? "Vicious and impetuous" is RATIONAL to the Left!!!

25 posted on 08/11/2017 9:03:36 AM PDT by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgcd1ghag5Y

Hillary: We came, we saw, he died (lol lol lol lol)

Hillary recounting the good times. Nobody ever called Hillary a lunatic


26 posted on 08/11/2017 9:08:13 AM PDT by Steven Tyler
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