Well, as you can see, almost no one is actually being sanctioned. I’m not really for or against sanctions–it depends on whether they work and OFAC did say it would significantly hurt NK and I agree–but they really only blocked 10 entities and six individuals, most of whom are Chinese. This is more of a warning shot at China, telling them to stop supporting North Korea’s military aggression toward the United States. In this way, it may help. Kim Jong Un showed a vague sign of backing down on bombing Guam when he announced he would bomb outside of U.S. territorial waters about Guam. However, that could also be an attempt to get us to shoot down their missiles even though they are allowed to test them in international waters. Under international law, we’re not allowed to do that, which means they could say we provoked them. If we do nothing to stop them, it only takes a slight course correction or even a miscalculation to actually hit Guam. Therefore, it’s not clear what KJU is doing, but it’s more likely that he’s trying to trick us into doing nothing in response to missiles getting closer and closer to U.S. territory.
However, there’s another problem with these sanctions. There is an interconnected system of alternative financial networks that span the globe but are heavily concentrated in China, Pakistan, Iran, and other countries allied with China. That’s why we have to block the people that are helping people who are already blocked. In other words, we may have to widen the net further to help those who are helping the helpers. Eventually, they could get smart and get people to help them who are also influential to the United States, meaning we’d have to hurt ourselves to hurt China and North Korea.
To clear, these sanctions are aimed squarely at China, and it is meant to be a strong statement, as we all know Trump hates China. However, it’s a little breathless. I prefer sanctions over the alternative to going to war, but if they don’t work, you have to try something else. If we don’t, then we could making China think we don’t have any other options, and if we really don’t, then they could put us in check or at least in a reactionary position in which we basically keep chasing them while they stay one step ahead of us like they’ve been for a while now.
I don’t know what will Trump do. Simply because Trump is unpredictable and he is, somewhat, not really understanding the role of the U.S. in international stage
For a God sake reason: Trump has no clear understanding. Now after Irma and Harvey, he has seemed waking up, but again, his arrogance prevents him from doing at least a right thing
Kim Jong Un, Pakistan and China on the other side are trying to expand the fears and creating opportunities from the madness of Trump. I don’t know what is people thinking, either. But it is time we have to be serious.
Luckily, the Congress hasn’t lost their mind up and they might help us to drive policies.
I am no fan of Hillary Clinton. Obama, he has failed to deal what it should have to be. Bill… dunno. But I don’t think I want Bush Jr. to return, he is also a disaster. And Trump is just the last ending of an era of disastrous leaders since Bill Clinton’s era
The U.S. needs to balance their benefits to gain the goal to stop China’s domination. Russia is too weak to make something again, so China, with 5.000 years of trying to besert other interests, will be a threat for us
Reblogged this on The game changer.
Trump is like a 6 year old playing on a playground in grammar school, turning to name-calling because he knows nothing else.
He has no idea when to be forceful and when not; no idea how to use global-economic power, no idea how to professionally communicate with people, so he uses twitter to message his feelings of the day.
He threatens the use of military, mostly sounding like a fool in doing so, and even when he uses it, the moron calls and tells them “we’re going to attack your airport, you better get your planes out of harms way.” The, the idiot uses $18 million dollars worth of cruise missiles instead of a stealth bomber that could actually do something to the runway. He must be buddies with the CEO of Raytheon.
The clown has turned the U.S. into a pariah amongst all other nations, including our own allies.
Thank you for your comment, Bob. He certainly doesn’t know what he’s doing. I assume you’re referring to the strike on Syria. While I think something was necessary, that strike certainly lacked the surgical precision and informed capabilities of a modern military.
We’re not pariahs yet, and I have hope. We’re almost 25% through his first and hopefully only term, and our allies have acknowledged they stand with our people even when they don’t agree with our President.
I really like the way you write about politics. I found it both amusing and informative, and that’s the best kind of content. I also really like watching this power struggle, this dance, if you will, between the US and PRC play out. Sometimes I fantasize about how in a different world the US AND North Korea might find ways to really screw China over.
Thank you, Allison. I appreciate that. I want my blog to be engaging and easy to read. Why use dry language and big words when most people don’t talk that way?
That’s a really interesting premise. I’ve been studying China since 2006 and have paid much more attention to Pyongyang since 2013. Northeast Asia is probably the most dangerous and least considered hotspot. The Middle East is a problem, but Northeast Asia, where Russia, China, and North Korea all border each other like a tri-state mafia very serious, and I’m glad the world has finally noticed.
“Tri-state mafia.” I like that. If I ever write anything about those three and call it that, I’m definitely crediting you.
Thanks for following my blog, which is much appreciated.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thank you, Pete. I hope you enjoy my blog. If you have additional information about any of my posts, I’d be happy to hear from you.
You might prefer my other blog.
https://redflagflying.wordpress.com/
Regards, Pete.
Thank you. I checked it out. I really like it. I’d appreciate your comments on how Trump is changing our standing in the international community. As you say, Bangladesh is under water right now. The difference this time is they might be expecting Trump to do nothing about it even after we’re done recovering from Harvey, Irma, and Jose.
Trump is viewed as a rather buffoonish figure in Europe. They don’t take him at all seriously, which I think is a grave error. Some feel he won’t see out the term, but I have a feeling he could well be reelected.
When he won, I think most of us believed he would take an isolationist stance, and draw America back into a pre-1941 style of ‘Made In America’ politics. However, he went off on a tangent, and seems to want to fight everyone.
Some Americans have long believed in less government interference, less control, and people doing well by hard work. What’s mine is mine, etc. I think his current policies will appeal to them.
That said, I was no fan of Clinton either, and found it laughable that Sanders was considered to be a Socialist. Then again, some Americans thought Obama was a Communist…
Europe, as well as America is moving to the Right, on a tide of populist rhetoric and xenophobia. Trump is the best example of how this works, and perhaps why it should not.
Regards, Pete.
Thank you for your comment. Things are changing in the West. We’ve seen that globalization really turned into a one-way pipeline to China, which turned into major opportunities for them to control the world, and they’ve done a lot to further that goal.
I’ve been following this for more than a decade now, and I think we’re seeing some protectionism because we’re feeling a lot of uncertainty. If we can diversify or supply chain so we’re sourcing from multiple Asian countries, we’ll do well. Currently, with all our eggs in the same Chinese basket, we’re at their mercy, and for the past 2,000 years, that feeling of total control has been the goal of every Chinese leader.
You seem to know a lot about what’s going on. I look forward to reading more of your comments.
Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.