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North Korea: Has Trump Met His Match?

“All options are on the table”, is a refrain we’ve heard before. Almost always from American politicians.

True to form these ominous words have yet again been pronounced by US Vice President Pence. On his recent visit to Seoul, South Korea, Donald Trump’s deputy issued this doomsday warning to North Korea in the wake of Pyongyang’s missile test.

America, who has arrogated itself to be the world’s unelected policeman, thrives on creating tensions – especially of a military type – before stepping in by wielding its might to impose its will. In doing so, it almost always operates outside the framework of UN Charter.

Because of its perceived power and dominance, it gets away without a whimper of protest from the UN, NATO and other western allies. In fact these nation-states, particularly France and Britain, encourages the US to stoke fires causing instability and uncertainty in mainly under-developed regions.

Evidence abounds. Wherever one turns to look within the geographical heart of the Muslim world in the Arabian Peninsula, you will find death, destruction and displacement. Without exception the devastation caused is attributable to America and its western allies. The impunity attached to the catastrophic devastation is itself mind boggling. Their message is clear: we can bomb and kill wherever and whenever we choose to. We can impose military coups. We can arm and finance our client-states without any regard about whether they are unelected tyrannies or indeed whether they practice apartheid, for as long as they do our bidding.

This is the unfortunate reality of an unequal world held hostage by a so-called superpower. While portraying itself as a benign, humane state that subscribes to values which embrace tolerance, freedom and rule of law, America, especially in its foreign policy conduct, is far removed from civilized norms.

Its superpower status thus needs to be qualified: America is a super-terrorist power! To regard it as anything less than a terrorist regime is to bring civilization into disrepute.

Has it finally met its match in Pyongyang? One hopes so for its about time that the world’s biggest bully gets a well deserved slap in the face. That it comes at a time the Trump administration faces internal scrutiny about its 100-day record of embarrassing failures, is perhaps a fateful omen.

Instead of backing off, North Korea has adopted a strident posture. Its public pronouncements are unambiguous: if the US shows any sign of reckless military aggression, Pyongyang is ready to launch a pre-emotive strike. In other words they are ready to go to war if Trump, whose administration is viewed by them as “vicious and aggressive”, wants war.

Tension between Washington and Pyongyang goes back to the Truman era and the 1950-53 Korean War which ended in an armistice – not a peace treaty. Provocation by America to raise temperatures hasn’t been helpful, especially given North Korea’s extreme discomfort with threats of “decapitation strikes”.

Analysts have confirmed that the current joint war “games” between the US and South Korean militaries are the biggest in decades. Common sense suggests that if America minds its own business, tension and threats of war will be eliminated. But as political pundits argue, common sense do not drive US policies. Real driver is the military industrial complex.

In refusing to stand down to US demands, Pyongyang has upped the war of words and in a smart move turned the tables by questioning why Israel is able to get away with its nuclear weapons. The Zionist settler-colonial regime is known to have a huge arsenal of nukes, yet remains outside the purvey of inspections and sanctions.

None, except those allied to Israel will be able to dispute North Korea’s claim that it is being unfairly targeted by the Zionist regime’s US patron.

In the current showdown, Pyongyang has been able to repeat America’s mantra: “all options are on the table”.  And as Trump adds fuel to tension via his tweets, the world waits to see who blinks first or who strikes first.

 

Iqbal Jassat

Exec Member: Media Review Network

Iqbal Jassat
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