North Korea is making nuclear threats against the United States again.
It’s nothing new, but what’s distressing this time around is how our relatively new president is responding to these threats. And, considering President Donald Trump’s nonexistent background in politics, Americans should not have been surprised with the way he handled this intimidation attempt.
Though, they should heed the repercussions of his ignorant actions.
What’s terrifying is the severe mishandling of this nuclear dispute. Instead of turning to seasoned military generals or speaking to an international relations advisor, Trump is making impromptu threats on television to one of America’s nuclear-armed adversaries; to Trump, it’s just another one of his rallies. Nuclear missile threats have no place in childish banter, but they especially have no place when it can mean significant destruction to countless citizens, cities and wildlife.
The tensions between North Korea and the U.S. are culminating at an alarming speed. The main reason is the unprofessional manner in which each respective leader rebuffs one another. Heather Cox Richardson, an American historian and history professor at Boston College, stated in her podcast that these leaders are nothing more than two men shouting to each other through the media. And that’s frightening when they have bombs in their possession.
In the beginning of August, Trump made threats of “fire and fury” should North Korea make any more threats against the U.S. So, North Korea pledged a “thousands-fold” revenge for the U.S. The dictator also vowed to continue strengthening North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs as well as “examine” a plan to launch a strike on Guam, a U.S. territory that is closest to our age-old East Asian enemy. Fast forward to Aug. 29, North Korea launched a missile over Japan, and now Trump returns, saying during a news conference that “military action would certainly be an option.” Tired of the back and forth yet?
When two immature chiefs decide they want to feud over the sensitive topic of nuclear weapons, only one question comes to mind: should we be preparing for a nuclear attack? North Korea’s Kim Jong-un dynasty is infamous for the number of ultimatums they’ve delivered to U.S. presidents over the decades. And each president had their own strategy for dealing with the advancement of North Korea’s nuclear program.
Bill Clinton implemented the Joint Framework Agreement, which provided North Korea with $4 billion worth of benefits in exchange for the suspension of their nuclear program in 1994. George Bush reversed these negotiations, withdrawing from the Clinton administration’s agreement with North Korea. He even went a step further to criticize North Korea, labeling the country as an “axis of evil” alongside Iran and Iraq. Then Barack Obama became president and employed the tactic of “strategic patience” as a way of waiting North Korea out until they gave up their nuclear warheads. All three consecutive presidents failed at seizing North Korea’s bombs, but they succeeded in devising a plausible strategy that had potential.
In comparison, Trump’s current “strategy” is unequivocally below par in comparison. There’s no way around that fact; in the end, it all comes down to his character.
There would be no fear of nuclear war instilled in Americans if Trump had never risen to the bait that is North Korea’s incessant threats against the U.S. They’ve been a broken record for decades now, but Trump’s presence in Washington D.C. is what might actually make their words a reality. It’s his personality that is the true game-changer in this ongoing war of words with Kim Jong-un.
In response to Trump’s threats, White House officials attributed the comments made by our president to solely being “the way Trump talks.” They treated it as if the American public should not be concerned with our leader’s stream-of-consciousness language toward an armed enemy. Furthermore, these impromptu threats probably do not portray the position of his administration. Should the U.S. have to use military strength against North Korea, the bureaucracy may not be as willing to act on it as Trump’s impulsive rhetoric would have you believe. This delicate and long-time conflict between two nations should be dealt with in a responsible and carefully considered manner, not with spontaneous statements and unreliable support from our very own president.
So, begin stocking up on canned goods, because Trump is certainly not going to resort to an ounce of political negotiation in the near future.