Kim Jong Un

November 12, 2017 in News

Trump Demonstrates Foreign Policy Of Friendship, Extends Olive Branch To Kim Jong-Un

President Donald Trump, who has made harsh comments toward North Korea in the past months, extended the olive branch to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in a recent tweet. “Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’ Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend – and maybe someday that will happen,” Trump said in a tweet released Saturday evening. While Trump used humor to make his point, he makes it clear that friendship is his first priority with the North Koreans. Trump’s message is in line… Keep Reading

September 26, 2017September 26, 2017 in News

North Korea Releases Doctored Propaganda Depicting Attack On United States

Tensions between the United States and North Korea are without question at an all-time high. After years of diplomatic concessions to the North Koreans, the Trump Administration has altered course on foreign policy and adopted a much more aggressive approach. “Rocket Man,” as President Donald Trump has dubbed North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, has not responded well. With missiles being shot over Japan and the United States flying jets over North Korean territory as demonstrations of force, tensions are escalating to dangerous levels. The possibility for military action or even full scale war has appeared possible for some time… Keep Reading

September 4, 2017September 4, 2017 in News

Trump’s ‘Art Of The Deal’ In South Korea

Amidst seemingly unprecedented global crises, President Donald Trump is having his legendary deal-making ability put to the test. Perhaps his most difficult balancing act will come with South Korea, as Trump must work in tandem to quell the possibility of North Korean aggression while simultaneously being on the opposing end of negotiations pertaining to trade. A common Trump talking point has been that America is getting a raw deal when it comes to global trade. While Trump has softened his rhetoric since the fire-breathing days of campaign season last year, correcting the U.S. trade imbalance has remained a priority for… Keep Reading

August 16, 2017August 16, 2017 in News

Trump’s Threats Cause North Korea To Back Down, Reviving Hopes For Diplomacy

The possibility of a nuclear holocaust has been on everyone’s mind as Trump and Kim Jong-un exchanged threats and hostilities in recent weeks. However, both sides–while maintaining their aggressive posturing–are now indicating that they may back down if certain conditions are met. Jong-un recently claimed that missile strikes were not off the table as long as “Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity,” but he did caution America to “think reasonably and judge properly” moving forward. While these sentiments may not seem particularly warm, analysts explain that it is about the best… Keep Reading

August 14, 2017August 14, 2017 in World

How To Handle North Korea

After recently calling for “fire and fury” against North Korea, President Trump has been criticized for adopting such a harsh tone. Top cabinet members such as James Mattis and Rex Tillerson were quick to defend Trump by saying that he spoke “in a language that Kim Jong-un can understand.” Since that statement, President Trump has doubled down on his words, citing that maybe he “wasn’t tough enough.” What the American people can safely conclude from Trump’s tone is that the current administration will be taking a hard-line approach towards North Korea. Such a hard-line approach will certainly cause concerns on… Keep Reading

August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 in News

This Is Why Analysts Say North Korea Cannot Bomb The United States

Analysts who examined video of North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test launch on Friday concluded that the missile poses less of a threat than originally thought, according to the New York Times. Although the missile appeared capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States in terms of distance traveled, footage of the Hwasong-14 re-entry vehicle indicated that it broke apart during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere before crashing into the sea off the coast of Japan. An analyst at 38 North, a website run by The US-Korea Institute at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, concluded… Keep Reading

July 19, 2017July 19, 2017 in News

Top Pentagon General: North Korean Military Lacks Capability To Strike The United States

While North Korea–led by the childish and deranged dictator Kim Jong-un–clearly wants to be taken seriously on the global stage as a world power, the United States military is not buying it. They see North Korea as little more than a paper tiger, and do not believe that the nation has the ability to accurately hit the United States with missiles. Pyongyang’s state-controlled media organs reported that North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile tests conducted on July 4 were successful, and demonstrated to the world that the small nation actually has the capability to attack the United States. However, General Paul… Keep Reading

May 20, 2017 in News

North Korea Issues Demands, Orders Trump to Back Off as Precondition for Diplomacy

North Korea has issued an official response to President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he is open to talks “under certain circumstances.” The notoriously anti-American nation is open to meeting, but they have some preconditions of their own that the U.S. must follow to make it happen. “As everybody knows, the Americans have gestured [toward] dialogue,” North Korea’s Deputy UN Ambassador Kim In Ryong said on Friday as reported by Sky News. “But what is important is not words, but actions.” “The rolling back of the hostile policy towards DPRK is the prerequisite for solving all the problems in the Korean… Keep Reading

May 2, 2017May 2, 2017 in News

First Duterte, Now Jong Un?: Trump Continues Diplomatic Outreach to Despots

Donald Trump has been criticized for a recent announcement that he has invited Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House. Duterte is known for a dismal human rights record, essentially legalizing the murder of suspected drug dealers. Trump is apparently not content to stop there, and is even extending an olive branch to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. “If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honored to do it,” Trump said to Bloomberg News on Monday. “If it’s under the, again, under the right circumstances. But I would… Keep Reading

April 19, 2017April 29, 2017 in History/Politics

The Trump Doctrine Takes Shape

The concept of Presidential Doctrine dates back to when James Monroe adopted a posture of anti-European colonialism in the western hemisphere. Since that time many presidents have come and gone without leaving a signature stamp on the attitude and behavior of our nation vis a vis foreign policy though many have at most sought to merely modify pre-existing positions. Theodore Roosevelt took Monroe’s doctrine and mutated it into the Roosevelt Corollary which would later be reversed by his fifth cousin, Franklin Roosevelt who adopted a Good Neighbor policy toward those nations in the Central and South America. In relatively short… Keep Reading

March 27, 2017May 21, 2017 in History/Politics/World

North Korea, A Desperate Foe with the Courage of Despair

One of the most insightful observations made by Sun Tzu in his seminal masterwork, The Art of War, is the following: “When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.” Tu Mu was more specific in his elaboration on the point; the ancient Chinese poet said the enemy must be made to think “that there is a road to safety, and thus prevent his fighting with the courage of despair.” The beauty of Sun Tzu’s tome is in its timelessness; the succinct profundity of his proverbs is as relevant today as it… Keep Reading