US, Russia and China: Coping with Rogue States and Terrorists Groups

“Rocket Man” Kim Jong-Un

November 29, 2017
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“Rocket Man” Kim Jong-Un surely believes we are doing what Abe most feared! So does Vladimir Putin. In an article written two weeks ago but published only yesterday by the BESA Center for Strategic Studies and Linkedin, we made two points about North Korea. 1. That the president’s coercive diplomacy against North Korea worked temporarily. Since Sept. 15 there has been no launching of North Korean missiles.

But we also warned that our foreign foes, particularly the North Koreans, but also the Russians, view our president as in a weakened position. Thus Lincoln’s warning is apropos: “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedom, it will be because we destroyed ourselves from within.”

So first the Danang summit was cancelled because it was deemed that Putin is toxic to Trump at home at this time [the power struggle is not decided]. Then Kim not only launched a missile, but fired one that went 28,000 miles up in the air and could reach the continental United States. North Korea’s ICBM capabilities are advancing more rapidly than we realized.

Putin himself will go with who has the strongest hand. So, eventually will China. Thus, Trump must be firm with Putin. Buzzing our planes is not acceptable.

It may be no coincidence that the Russian provocation happened within 24 hours of the North Korean one. This action is the sort of contemptuous gestures Putin used with the practitioner of “strategic patience,” Barack Obama. Our new president, Donald Trump, paying for his too willing outreach to Putin. Knowing our president, he doesn’t want to be another Obama!

We must respond in a tough way. The president must go to the brink and even consider taking out the North Korean site that launched that missile. Now it may be too late, but the President should at least establish a red line for next time and act on it if need be.

Firstly published: LinkedIn

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