President Trump’s Climb Down On North Korea – OpEd

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Not long ago, US President Donald Trump warned North Korea in severe terms and almost said that US would not hesitate to destroy North Korea in one stroke, if necessary. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un retorted that his nuclear missiles would hit US, if he would so desire.

The war of words and exchanges between both these persons were so sharp and urchin like that many thought that a bitter war between US and North Korea would be imminent, that would cause serious disturbance and destruction. The stock market dived and the crude oil price saw sharp upward movement, in the wake of such an exchange of threats between President Trump and Kim Jong-un.

While the world has been looking anxiously at the acrimonious relations between US and North Korea, President Trump has suddenly turned around and said that he would meet Kim Jong-un in the month of May. Trump said in his tweet “the deal with North Korea is very much in the making and will be, if completed, a very good one for the world”. With equal suddenness, the rhetoric of Kim Jong-un against Trump has toned down considerably.

Everyone is left to wonder as to what has happened now that has caused the hitherto bitter foes to move towards a friendly approach. It is said that even senior US officials were surprised, when Trump announced that he would meet Kim Jong-un.

It is now very well known that both Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are capable of making obnoxious remarks and using vituperative, insulting language at the drop of a hat with no one knowing as to who would be their friend or foe the next day. Many observations of these two persons have often been viewed by people around the world as bordering on eccentricity .

Now, the world cannot but wonder as to whether both these persons who gave an impression a few months back that they were readying the war heads and are now taking about peace, have been fooling the world.

While Trump said a few days back that he would meet Kim Jong-un and only the time and place has to be determined, White House Press Secretary have now said that the meeting would not take place without “concrete actions” that match the promises made by North Korea. He further said that Trump administration will continue with it’s “maximum pressure” campaign on North Korea. Then, why did Trump say a few days back that he would meet the North Korean leader in the month of May?

The climb down of President Trump on North Korea only clearly highlights the fact that US is no more as powerful in the world arena as many Americans and the US government think. Many nations have now got the courage to stand up to US and Iran revealed it very clearly sometime back and North Korea has done it now.

With China becoming an economically and militarily strong country in the world and with it’s unconcealed ambition to dominate the world militarily, economically and politically, the hegemony of US clearly stands challenged.

Obviously, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un developed the courage to talk out the President Trump in the exchange of bitter rhetoric only due to the fact that North Korea has the total backing of China in confronting US and even the world opinion. China has played its card well by egging on North Korea to confront US and in the process showing US it’s place in the world. China has done this, even while giving an impression that it has no involvement in the US -North Korea confrontation.

The present assertion of US that in dealing with North Korea “we are making no concessions. We are not going to move forward until we see concrete and verifiable actions from North Korea” is obviously a face saving strategy, to give an impression that it has not buckled down in dealing with North Korea. The fact is otherwise.

N. S. Venkataraman

N. S. Venkataraman is a trustee with the "Nandini Voice for the Deprived," a not-for-profit organization that aims to highlight the problems of downtrodden and deprived people and support their cause. To promote probity and ethical values in private and public life and to deliberate on socio-economic issues in a dispassionate and objective manner.

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