Trump, Kim & the DMZ

At first glance, it appears to be nothing more than a photo op. However; I view it as Trump attempting to liberate Kim and North Korea from Chinese domination and exploitation. China dominates North Korea politically and uses the country as a virtual slave labor camp to produce low cost goods for export. More ominously, China encourages NK to develop nukes so that the Korean people can become nuke fodder in a proxy nuclear war with the US. Deterrence does not work so well if an attacker can con a third world country to launch a limited nuclear strike so that the third world country enjoys being on the receiving end of the retaliation while their sponsor reaps the military, political and economic benefits of damaging an adversary.

Trump is offerring Kim and North Korea a better deal than the Chinese. A real truce would enable massive economic development fueled by oil and Natural gas from Russia.

Even you cannot be this delusional.

Kim flatters Trump. Trump treats Kim with kid gloves and gives him the propaganda opportunities he wants while spewing flattery about him because he loves it when anyone he sees as "strong" gives him positive attention, and Trump's definition of strong lines up exactly with "dictator". Because Trump's only understanding of strength is as a bully.

It's a damn simple equation, and obvious to everyone.

gcomeau wrote:Even you cannot be this delusional.

Kim flatters Trump. Trump treats Kim with kid gloves and gives him the propaganda opportunities he wants while spewing flattery about him because he loves it when anyone he sees as "strong" gives him positive attention, and Trump's definition of strong lines up exactly with "dictator". Because Trump's only understanding of strength is as a bully.

It's a damn simple equation, and obvious to everyone.

It is obvious to anyone with only half a brain.

For all of his eccentricities, Kim is the first North Korean leader in over half a century to consider reconciliation with the US. President Trump is the first POTUS to consider encouraging a peace by treating him with respect.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:

It is obvious to anyone with only half a brain.

For all of his eccentricities, Kim is the first North Korean leader in over half a century to consider reconciliation with the US. President Trump is the first POTUS to consider encouraging a peace by treating him with respect.

The president of the United States is not SUPPOSED to treat murderous dictators who starve their people and execute political enemies by shooting them with anti aircraft cannon and torture US citizens to death with "respect".... and Trump is going right past that and treating him like one of his favorite golfing buddies.

And you're so desperate to spin any idiot/ignorant/despicable thing Trump does as a positive you're letting it slide. When I guarantee if Obama had pulled this bullshit you would be screaming for him to be executed for treason.

Kim isn't "considering reconciliation", he's playing Trump for the abject moron he is. And boy is he getting his effort rewarded.

gcomeau wrote:

TFLYTSNBN wrote:

It is obvious to anyone with only half a brain.

For all of his eccentricities, Kim is the first North Korean leader in over half a century to consider reconciliation with the US. President Trump is the first POTUS to consider encouraging a peace by treating him with respect.

The president of the United States is not SUPPOSED to treat murderous dictators who starve their people and execute political enemies by shooting them with anti aircraft cannon and torture US citizens to death with "respect".... and Trump is going right past that and treating him like one of his favorite golfing buddies.

And you're so desperate to spin any idiot/ignorant/despicable thing Trump does as a positive you're letting it slide. When I guarantee if Obama had pulled this bullshit you would be screaming for him to be executed for treason.

Kim isn't "considering reconciliation", he's playing Trump for the abject moron he is. And boy is he getting his effort rewarded.

So Kissinger and Nixon should not have treated the USSR with respect and G H W Bush should not have treated China with respect?

TFLYTSNBN wrote:

gcomeau wrote:Kim isn't "considering reconciliation", he's playing Trump for the abject moron he is. And boy is he getting his effort rewarded.

So Kissinger and Nixon should not have treated the USSR with respect and G H W Bush should not have treated China with respect?

There is diplomacy with established world powers which must be treated with, and then there is normalizing and conferring legitimacy where none previously existed.


Trump is engaged in the latter, because Kim is playing him and he LIKES Kim.

The North Korean regime has been trying to get recognition from successive US Presidents for decades, but up to now they have been too smart to fall for it. Look at the current scorecard, wins for the US, zero; wins for NK, international recognition as a sovereign power worthy of respect.
Even today with Dictators for Life Putin and Xi, both Russia and China are functioning countries that at least pretend to have the rule of law, plus both have the power to devastate the US, while NK could just possibly smash a couple of cities before it was glazed.

gcomeau wrote:
The president of the United States is not SUPPOSED to treat murderous dictators who starve their people and execute political enemies by shooting them with anti aircraft cannon and torture US citizens to death with "respect".... and Trump is going right past that and treating him like one of his favorite golfing buddies.

I'm afraid that the time for American "exclusivness" just passed. You could not pretend to be "a symbol of everything right for this world" much longer. Pax America is dead. Nobody outside the USA velieve in it anymore - not with so much mistakes, costly blunders and petty violence for the last two decades.

gcomeau wrote:

TFLYTSNBN wrote:



So Kissinger and Nixon should not have treated the USSR with respect and G H W Bush should not have treated China with respect?

There is diplomacy with established world powers which must be treated with, and then there is normalizing and conferring legitimacy where none previously existed.


Trump is engaged in the latter, because Kim is playing him and he LIKES Kim.

Here is a map clasyfing countries by human rights records. Most of the world's people live in countries that are not free.

https://freedomhouse.org/report-types/freedom-world

Why does the US treat some of these awful countries as ALLIES?
Answer: self interest.

North Korea might not be able to destroy the US as Russia and may be China can, but as was demonstrated on 9-11-2001,just destroying a few buildings can screw the US economy.

I would point out that by imprisoning people for possessing the video file from the Christchurch mosque massacre, New Zealand demonstrated that it is not a free country.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:

gcomeau wrote:There is diplomacy with established world powers which must be treated with, and then there is normalizing and conferring legitimacy where none previously existed.


Trump is engaged in the latter, because Kim is playing him and he LIKES Kim.

Here is a map clasyfing countries by human rights records. Most of the world's people live in countries that are not free.

https://freedomhouse.org/report-types/freedom-world

Why does the US treat some of these awful countries as ALLIES?
Answer: self interest.

North Korea might not be able to destroy the US as Russia and may be China can, but as was demonstrated on 9-11-2001,just destroying a few buildings can screw the US economy.

I would point out that by imprisoning people for possessing the video file from the Christchurch mosque massacre, New Zealand demonstrated that it is not a free country.

Thanks for clarifying your position as US foreign policy should be governed by the principle "if they might hurt us in any way then it is necessary to cower to them".

No wonder Trump is your perfect president, he's always been a sniveling coward.


And nice little bonus bit of absurdity trying to compare New Zealand to North Korea to cap it off.