Trump's Strategy of 'Strategic Impatience' with North Korea

nationalinterest.org ^ | Dan Blumenthal

[RoosterRedux]

For policy wonks, working in the Trump area has the feel of living in parallel universes. One such universe is what allies say about Trump’s North Korea policy; the other is what some in the U.S. media write. Exhibit A are editorials claiming that President Trump’s North Korea policy is the same as that of his predecessor.

Private chats with Japanese or Chinese leaders would disabuse journalists ready to listen of the impression that this policy continues President Obama’s passivity. The former are happy that Obama’s “red line” on the use of WMD was finally enforced by President Trump, and that real pressure is finally on China. The latter are less happy with the pressure that Trump's national-security cabinet is putting on them to put the squeeze to Kim Jong-un.

Indeed, a quick review of the Trump approach to North Korea reveals anything but passivity.

First, there is the return of the exercise of American power. The most important moment of the Trump-Xi summit was Trump’s delivery of the news that the U.S. military had targeted Syria for using chemical weapons. Trump reintroduced the concept of decisive American action to a Chinese leadership that is impressed by power above all else. Since China already believes that all U.S. action in the world is taken with an eye toward containing the Middle Kingdom, the U.S. move certainly left the impression that a message was being conveyed to Beijing.

Second, there is robust diplomacy. Senior Trump officials report to me that Tillerson’s diplomacy with China has been unrelentingly results oriented.

[RoosterRedux]

This is good...ping.

[UB355]

If you care about editorials claiming that President Trump’s North Korea policy is the same as that of his predecessor. you are an loser.

[RoosterRedux]

I don’t know how anyone can say that Trump’s NK policy is the same as Obama’s.

[spokeshave]

Trump is the antidote/inverse/opposite/repair to all things Obama

[kabar]

If the policy is succeeding then it is attributed to Obama. If it fails, then Trump takes ownership.

[AndyJackson]

First, there is the return of the exercise of American power.

There is some that is commendable about this article, but it does not really start out getting to the point about what the break from the past is, and the quoted phrase is bullshit. Why it is bullshit illustrates what the real break from the past is. We have been abusing American power at great expense and with no particular return since Clinton took office. The real issue is that we now have adults in charge who have subordinated the employment of force to a strategy - means are tied to a desired outcome that is achievable.

The key part of the article is: Secretary Mattis, who is overseeing the military side of the strategy, made Northeast Asia his first stop. There, he warned of an overwhelming response to North Korea’s use of nuclear weapons. After a special briefing at the White House for U.S. senators, Democratic Senator Christopher Coons told the press, “It was a sobering briefing in which it was clear just how much thought and planning was going into preparing military options if called for, and a diplomatic strategy that strikes me as clear-eyed and well-proportioned to the threat." All relevant parties know that the threat of force, should pressure and diplomacy fail, is real and credible.

This coupled with Trump's public projection that NK will have 50 nukes by the end of his term states both the problem and the goal at the same time - to defang this venomous snake before it breeds and multiplies and do so now when it is the 11th hour and before it is too late.

In this context the purpose of the Syrian strike could not be clearer. It was not a "return of the exercise of American power" but a retrenchment to a basic principle of deterrence against the use of WMD, chem, bio or nuke. And it sent a very clear message - these kinds of acts will result in swift response.

[tophat9000]

You know Rush has made the point over and over that Trump is Not idealogical ....and i now see that may be a major advantidge internationally

Consider his dealings with the Chinese its one hundred percent on enlightened self interests Of their nation

[TigerLikesRooster]

At the least, if this does not work, we could have N-20 as well as G-20. That is, we could have as many as twenty nuclear states in a few years, many of whom are not friendly to U.S.. What are you going to do if Mexico wants to have one? That is just for starters.

[LS]

Just a couple of thoughts so as to preclude a whole new freepmail:

*There is an article on Drudge from the Weakly Standard about how the judicial system in its “resist Trump” mode is creating “fake justice.” This is significant because (obviously) it’s true, but also because the Weakly Standard was one of the most virulent anti-Trump sites, and it seems to be dawning on them in at least some ways that there is NO “middle ground.” If you are against Trump under these circumstances you are on the side of jihad, mass illegal immigration, the destruction of law, American decline, and overseas intervention with NO strategy. The mystery is why it took these douchenozzles so long to come to this conclusion-—at least one writer. Kristol and his ilk have contributed to putting the whole nation at risk by not rallying around its duly elected leader.

*My friend Richard Baris of People’s Pundit Daily shows no slippage with Trump among his base, and overall he’s dead even, 45-45. PPD was accurate in 2016, but I think even he is low, mainly because of the (yes, limited) voter registration data we have from FL and PA, showing significant increases of Rs over Ds. Baris maintains that a good pollster does not factor in those kinds of changes and that if he’s properly sampling the electorate it will wash out. We’ll see.

*Baris does show that MN has shifted to a mere D+2.6 identity, and is convinced if the election was today Trump would win MN. He further says there is “zero” chance Trump would lose Florida as of today. So in three key battleground states, Trump has picked up additional ground.

[V K Lee]

And on that additional, fertile ground, he will plant fruitful trees which will grow ever larger.

[LS]

Doh, one more cuz I know you’ll all love this:

PPD polling now has Trump more popular in OH than the Mailman, John Kay-sick. He also has Josh Mandel beating Sherrod Brown for the Senate seat. Mandel is VERY conservative.

[Red Steel]

Cool.

I bet Duh Dems keep running the same old plays out of their tired and worn out playbook still thinking this is it! They are going to be in trouble in 2018. ;-)

[tennmountainman]

Ka-Sick. Ha!

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for this excellent summary of the Never Trumpsters like Kristol. If you don’t mind, I would like to use when the anti Trump hysteria breaks out on FR.

*There is an article on Drudge from the Weakly Standard about how the judicial system in its “resist Trump” mode is creating “fake justice.” This is significant because (obviously) it’s true, but also because the Weakly Standard was one of the most virulent anti-Trump sites, and it seems to be dawning on them in at least some ways that there is NO “middle ground.” If you are against Trump under these circumstances you are on the side of jihad, mass illegal immigration, the destruction of law, American decline, and overseas intervention with NO strategy. The mystery is why it took these douchenozzles so long to come to this conclusion-—at least one writer. Kristol and his ilk have contributed to putting the whole nation at risk by not rallying around its duly elected leader.

[Grampa Dave]

“I don’t know how anyone can say that Trump’s NK policy is the same as Obama’s.”

Here is LS’s analysis of those anyones:

*There is an article on Drudge from the Weakly Standard about how the judicial system in its “resist Trump” mode is creating “fake justice.” This is significant because (obviously) it’s true, but also because the Weakly Standard was one of the most virulent anti-Trump sites, and it seems to be dawning on them in at least some ways that there is NO “middle ground.”

If you are against Trump under these circumstances you are on the side of jihad, mass illegal immigration, the destruction of law, American decline, and overseas intervention with NO strategy.

The mystery is why it took these douchenozzles so long to come to this conclusion-—at least one writer. Kristol and his ilk have contributed to putting the whole nation at risk by not rallying around its duly elected leader.

The above is from LS: freerepublic.com/focus/news/3550718/posts?page=10#10

[trisham]

Thanks, LS!

[hoosiermama]

Thanks for the good news

[etabeta]

Thanks as always. Keep us grounded in truth!

[gymbeau]

Thanks,