Donald Trump Reportedly Determined To Strike North Korea, Despite Warnings That Millions Will Die As Result
Donald Trump is reportedly set on the idea of launching a strike against North Korea, despite warnings from his cabinet members that it could lead to a war that costs millions of lives.
Trump has been publicly antagonizing North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, creating derisive nicknames and bragging on Twitter that his own “nuclear button” was bigger than Kim’s. But behind the scenes, Trump is reportedly hoping to back up the talk with real action in the form of a small and precise strike against North Korea, Business Insider reported.
Trump is reportedly planning to launch what is termed a “bloody nose” attack, a violent but limited response to North Korea’s missile launches and other provocations. But there is some pushback, with both The Telegraph and The Wall Street Journal reporting that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis are trying to steer Trump away from launching an attack. Trump does have some support, as national security adviser H.R. McMaster is reportedly in favor of an attack.
As the report noted, there is hesitancy from the White House about how North Korea could respond. If the attack is effective, it could dull North Korea into submission and essentially neuter Kim Jong Un’s threats. But if Kim were to respond with more violence — as he has said North Korea would only launch nuclear weapons in the event it is attacked first — it could endanger millions of lives in South Korea and even put the United States within range of North Korea’s long-range missiles.
This WSJ article confirms what has been apparent for months now – McMaster is pushing for strikes against the DPRK, Mattis and Tillerson are opposed https://t.co/IhSiyzCHs8
— John Carl Baker (@johncarlbaker) January 8, 2018
The report comes as North and South Korea have engaged in some diplomatic talks that eased tensions ahead of the Winter Olympics, which take place in South Korea next month. As the BBC noted, this is the first time in two years that the two nations have engaged in talks, and could lead to a lessening of tensions.
While reports indicate that he could launch a strike against North Korea, at least in public Donald Trump appears to be in support of the diplomatic approach. Trump has said that the talks are a “great start” and that it would be a “great thing for all of humanity” if the nations could foster a peaceful solution.
