Defining Trump’s 4 Bad Options For Dealing With North Korea
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Jul 5, 2017
Yesterday, as most Americans were busy celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, North Korea conducted yet another missile test and announced that it was officially “a full-fledged nuclear power that has been possessed of the most powerful inter-continental ballistic rocket capable of hitting any part of the world”. The ICBM would enable the country to “put an end to the US nuclear war threat and blackmail” and defend the Korean peninsula, it added.
In a statement the North’s Academy of Defense Science, which developed the missile, said it reached an altitude of 2,802 kilometres and flew 933 kilometres, calling it the “final gate to rounding off the state nuclear force”. In practical terms, unlike previous missile launches, yesterday’s test carried particular significance becuse it was the first time the rogue nation had demonstrated missile technology capable of hitting the continental United States.
But despite all the tough talk from Trump, as Reuters points out today, his administration has four basic options for dealing with North Korea: diplomacy, sanctions, covert action and military force…unfortunately, they’re all bad options.
Diplomacy:
As Reuters notes, the Obama administration tried to pursue a diplomatic solution in February 2012 but it only took about 2 months for North Korea to violate the terms of the agreement.
There have been no official negotiations for seven years. In February 2012, the United States and North Korea announced an agreement in which the North would suspend operations of its Yongbyon uranium enrichment plant, allow international inspectors to verify the suspension, and implement moratoriums on nuclear and long-range missile tests.
In return, North Korea would get badly needed food aid.
In April of that year, the North attempted to launch a satellite on a three-stage rocket, in what Washington said was a violation of the agreement because of the rocket’s potential military uses. While Pyongyang denied it had breached the agreement, the deal was suspended.
The Rest…HERE
