North Korea Thumbs Nose at Trump, Ramps Up Its Nuclear Missiles

[Sunstone]

WASHINGTON — North Korea is moving ahead with its ballistic missile program at 16 hidden bases that have been identified in new commercial satellite images, a network long known to American intelligence agencies but left undiscussed as President Trump claims to have neutralized the North’s nuclear threat.

The satellite images suggest that the North has been engaged in a great deception: It has offered to dismantle a major launching site — a step it began, then halted — while continuing to make improvements at more than a dozen others that would bolster launches of conventional and nuclear warheads.

The existence of the ballistic missile bases, which North Korea has never acknowledged, contradicts Mr. Trump’s assertion that his landmark diplomacy is leading to the elimination of a nuclear and missile program that the North had warned could devastate the United States.

“We are in no rush,” Mr. Trump said of talks with the North at a news conference on Wednesday, after Republicans lost control of the House. “The sanctions are on. The missiles have stopped. The rockets have stopped. The hostages are home.”

His statement was true in just one sense. Mr. Trump appeared to be referring to the halt of missile flight tests, which have not occurred in nearly a year. But American intelligence officials say that the North’s production of nuclear material, of new nuclear weapons and of missiles that can be placed on mobile launchers and hidden in mountains at the secret bases has continued.

And the sanctions are collapsing, in part because North Korea has leveraged its new, softer-sounding relationship with Washington, and its stated commitment to eventual denuclearization, to resume trade with Russia and China.

[source]

The full article is worth reading.

Questions? Comments?

 

[Quetzal]

Ugh, this isn't surprising. But what may surprise you is that I don't think this is Trump's fault. Every administration has tried their hand at working with North Korea and all have come up short. NK just sucks...

 

[Sunstone]

Ugh, this isn't surprising. But what may surprise you is that I don't think this is Trump's fault. Every administration has tried their hand at working with North Korea and all have come up short. NK just sucks...

True. But Trump has made a huge deal of saying he's handled North Korea like the pro deal maker he thinks he is. Turns out he hasn't done any better than anyone else -- and has maybe done worse.

 

[Quetzal]

True. But Trump has made a huge deal of saying he's handled North Korea like the pro deal maker he thinks he is. Turns out he hasn't done any better than anyone else -- and has maybe done worse.

Well, he had reasons to be excited, right? We all did. Talks between NK and SK started to happen. NK was actually talking, which is something worth taking a closer look at. Sure, he puffed his chest a bit much but I give him a pass.

 

[sun rise]

Kim is a very good diplomatic chess player. It's cost him nothing to troll Trump and South Korea and he's done an excellent job at it.

 

[Sunstone]

Well, he had reasons to be excited, right? We all did. Talks between NK and SK started to happen. NK was actually talking, which is something worth taking a closer look at. Sure, he puffed his chest a bit much but I give him a pass.

We were all excited? I recall reading at the time that experts within his own military and state department were telling him NK was taking him for a ride, but he wouldn't listen to them. Some "excitement"!

In contrast to Trump's puffed up chest, the North has not only upgraded its nuclear weapons program and ballistic missiles, but has also bypassed the sanctions and started trading with China and Russia again.

Trump didn't even slow them down. They took one look at him and saw exactly how to play him.

 

[Revoltingest]

Kim is a very good diplomatic chess player. It's cost him nothing to troll Trump and South Korea and he's done an excellent job at it.

It appears to have neither cost nor benefited anyone.
But at least no wars were fought during the process.
I had no great expectations. Bet you dinna either.

 

[Quetzal]

We were all excited? I recall reading at the time that experts within his own military and state department were telling him NK was taking him for a ride, but he wouldn't listen to them. Some "excitement"!

In contrast to Trump's puffed up chest, the North has not only upgraded its nuclear weapons program and ballistic missiles, but has also bypassed the sanctions and started trading with China and Russia again.

Trump didn't even slow them down. They took one look at him and saw exactly how to play him.

Oh come on, this is an iconic photo, even if it may appear meaningless now:

 

[Sunstone]

Kim is a very good diplomatic chess player. It's cost him nothing to troll Trump and South Korea and he's done an excellent job at it.

One benefit he's gained from playing Trump has been to leverage his alleged agreement with Trump into cause for bypassing the sanctions against him by trading again with Russia and China.

 

[Jumi]

(LEAD) S. Korea defends joint marine drill with U.S. against N. Korea's criticism

 

[Jumi]

Oh come on, this is an iconic photo, even if it may appear meaningless now:

North and South are still negotiating so it's not back to square one. Of course the US decides what is possible.

 

[sun rise]

North and South are still negotiating so it's not back to square one. Of course the US decides what is possible.

That's the game. They negotiate and maybe reach some sort of deal. The North extracts benefits and pushes until there is push back and and a step back toward sanctions or other pressure means. Then they agree to negotiate once again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[Sunstone]

Oh come on, this is an iconic photo, even if it may appear meaningless now:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...he-korea-negotiations/?utm_term=.5def21e48ad3

Things aren't as rosy as you think.

 

[Jumi]

That's the game. They negotiate and maybe reach some sort of deal. The North extracts benefits and pushes until there is push back and and a step back toward sanctions or other pressure means. Then they agree to negotiate once again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

It wouldn't be much of a negotiation if there weren't benefits. While US talks stall, the Koreas are still moving ahead:

Ruling party pushes for businesspeople's trip to N. Korea
(2nd LD) Koreas hold 2nd meeting to discuss joint survey of cross-border roads

Compare the optimism of Yonhap news today with what you're presenting.

Like Trump or not, I don't think the no talks method yielded better results. If things move ahead, it's good no matter who is president in your country.

 

[columbus]

Well, he had reasons to be excited, right? We all did.

We all had reasons to be excited when Trump said he would "Repeal and Replace" the ACA.

But he didn't.

At what point do Trump's lies start mattering?
He had a majority in both Houses of Congress, up until now.

Seriously, Trump is now up a creek. Because he can't assume that the rest of the government will play along. The government wants to bring him down.

As a gay atheist, it's kinda nice to think that government is somewhat on my side, for once.
Tom

 

[Sanzbir]

Looking into the Keys to the White House methodology of election prediction, this is probably the most important thing to the 2020 election. If things in Korea go well, that's two keys to the Republicans and the Democrats winning becomes unlikely without both a significant Republican primary challenger and third party challenger.

Should negotiations in Korea completely fail, then you have two keys to the Democrats and all they need to do is make sure the challenging candidate is charismatic enough to take the needed sixth key.

Should things stay as they are, it seems like that's a key to both parties, and the Democrats would need both a charismatic candidate and to secure at least one other key to win.

 

[Quetzal]

We all had reasons to be excited when Trump said he would "Repeal and Replace" the ACA.

But he didn't.

At what point do Trump's lies start mattering?
He had a majority in both Houses of Congress, up until now.

Seriously, Trump is now up a creek. Because he can't assume that the rest of the government will play along. The government wants to bring him down.

As a gay atheist, it's kinda nice to think that government is somewhat on my side, for once.
Tom

Are we changing the topic? I am okay if we are, just want to make sure.

 

[Quetzal]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...he-korea-negotiations/?utm_term=.5def21e48ad3

Things aren't as rosy as you think.

Thanks for the source! I will get around to reading it this evening.

 

[Skwim]

True. But Trump has made a huge deal of saying he's handled North Korea like the pro deal maker he thinks he is. Turns out he hasn't done any better than anyone else -- and has maybe done worse.

And that's one of Trump's great failings; he believes that whomever he talks to buys his inane blather. He demands X of Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un nods his head in agreement. Trump believes Kim Jong-un, and that he, Trump, has scored a coup. Why? because Trump can see it no other way. His ego requires that he believe he always comes out on top.

Without doubt the most clueless and incompetent President the nation has ever had.

My prediction is that after Trump leaves office every book store and on-line book vendor will have an entire section devoted to the guy. AND, just like WWII, movie after movie will be made of the tragedy.



,

 

[columbus]

Are we changing the topic? I am okay if we are, just want to make sure.

I thought Trump was in the OP title.
More specifically, a Trump plan and claim of success.
Perhaps you don't want to talk about that sort of thing.
Perhaps you prefer to talk about what Trump promised and claimed to have accomplished.
I can well understand why some people would rather talk about that.
Tom