Peace on the horizon for Korean peninsula, but maybe not if the US has its way

Peace on the horizon for Korean peninsula, but maybe not if the US has its way
Published time: 28 Apr, 2018 12:54
Edited time: 28 Apr, 2018 13:38
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FILE PHOTO: U.S. Marines with Marine Attack Squadron 311 inspect and conduct maintenance on an AV-8B Harrier during Exercise MAX THUNDER 17 at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea Reuters
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This week, the North and South Korean leadership held an historic meeting, eroding decades-long hostility between the two countries but does this signal the end of the “North Korean crisis,” or is it too soon to celebrate?
The United States is a country that, at any given time, is bombing at least seven (or eight) different countries, all the while threatening to bomb at least two or three more. Despite these unprecedented acts of aggression, North Korea – currently bombing no one – is inexplicably and without fail, the country that is universally branded as an uncontrollable threat to global security.

“It’s time to bomb North Korea,” wrote former government advisor Edward Luttwak in an opinion piece for Foreign Policy in January this year.

No, it isn’t. In fact, if I recall correctly, the US already bombed North Korea at least once before, committing an endless supply of potential war crimes in the process.

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ReutersTime has come for the reunification of the Korean peninsula
In the early 1950s, the US bombed North Korea so relentlessly that, according to DPRK, it destroyed over 8,700 factories, 5,000 schools, 1,000 hospitals, 600,000 homes, and eventually killed off perhaps 20 percent of the country’s population. As noted by the Asia Pacific Journal, the US dropped so many bombs that they ran out of targets to hit, so they began punishing the local population by decimating the North’s irrigation systems instead:

“By the fall of 1952, there were no effective targets left for US planes to hit. Every significant town, city and industrial area in North Korea had already been bombed. In the spring of 1953, the Air Force targeted irrigation dams on the Yalu River, both to destroy the North Korean rice crop and to pressure the Chinese, who would have to supply more food aid to the North. Five reservoirs were hit, flooding thousands of acres of farmland, inundating whole towns and laying waste to the essential food source for millions of North Koreans.”

No one considers this historical incident worth mentioning when discussing the so-called “threat” of North Korea. And this is only going to get worse. Not too long ago, Donald Trump’s now national security advisor, John Bolton, wrote an op-ed article published by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) entitled “The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First.” This is an idea so catastrophic that about a week later, the WSJ had no choice but to publish the counter viewpoint entitled “Striking North Korea First Is a Bad Proposal.”

Bolton replaced former National Security Advisor General H.R. McMaster, a man who was also reportedly one of the main architects of a secret plan to hit the North Korean leadership with a “bloody nose strike.” It speaks volumes that this man was apparently not even hawkish enough for Trump that he needed to be replaced by someone as bloodthirsty as Bolton.

How recent developments may influence North Korea’s talks with the US later this year
After this week’s historic meeting between North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the two countries formalized their new relationship through a statement which “confirmed” their stated “common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.” As you will be aware, this too is the apparent goal of Washington – to completely denuclearize the region.

However, this proposal comes with a catch: For North Korea, full denuclearization entails the complete withdrawal of all nuclear-capable US weapons within reach of the peninsula, as well as the withdrawal of its 28,500 troops from South Korea.This is a deal-breaker for Washington and may prove to be a sticking point, especially given that the US military still refuses to leave Japan, despite improved diplomatic relations in the decades following the end of World War Two and in addition to recent protests, some of which have last for over 5,000 consecutive days.

It is also the same reason that the US still has bases in Germany and troops in the Philippines where it is expected to increase its military footprint, even though it was formally kicked out of the country in 1991. Let’s face it, the US hardly ever leaves a country once its military has established a presence. Consider that in Syria, the US controls almost one third of the country, including Syria’s most oil-rich region, without any discernable legal basis to be there in the first place.

In other words, the US may pursue an inevitable, collapsible deal similar to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached with Iran in 2015, but ultimately it will never give North Korea the security that it seeks. Putting aside one’s own thoughts of the North Korean leadership, it was the US who destroyed North Korean livelihood to the point of no return in the early 1950s. Remember that Americans still struggle to reconcile with a lone attack on its sovereignty that took place seventeen years ago; surely in that context one can try to understand the plight of the North Korean people.

Read more
Kim Hong-JiPeace breaks out on the Korean peninsula despite – not because of – Washington hawks
The real “threat” that North Korea poses
North Korea is not a threat because of its alleged nuclear weapons program. The US has over 1,000 military bases worldwide, has a military budget of $700 billion and a nuclear weapons stockpile so sophisticated that it could make entire continents uninhabitable. A war with North Korea would be no major challenge to the US.

No, North Korea is a threat for the same reason that Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria and Iran are a threat: natural resources and the ability to tie the development of those resources to a currency that will challenge the status of the US dollar.

You see, North Korea sits on reserves of more than 200 minerals, including rare earth minerals, which are believed to be worth up to 10 trillion USD. North Korea’s main ally, China, is currently in the process of realizing a monumental project known as the One Belt One Road initiative, which will connect China to the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and even the Pacific to the complete detriment of the US.

China has openly said that any nation can contribute to this proposed initiative and, unfortunately for the US, they were being one hundred percent sincere. In May last year, China invited North Korea to its Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. In other words, China might actually be years away from creating a “Silk Road” which takes advantage of these vast resources, while leaving the US out.

As of right now, China has already begun inking deals with other nations which involve the Chinese yuan, not the US dollar. It already launched its oil crude futures exchange earlier this year which opens the door for the yuan to be used to buy and sell oil on the global financial markets, further threatening the hegemony of the US dollar.

One can only imagine the effect that China’s proposal will have on the status of the dollar if this proposal comes to fruition and involves known US adversaries like North Korea.

The future of North Korean Talks: The Blunt Truth
The harsh reality of the matter is that Pyongyang knows what happened to Iraq and Libya will ultimately happen to North Korea (for the second time) should they be willing to sit down with the US for peace talks without receiving the quid pro quo they have been searching for.

This is not conjecture. “The Libyan crisis is teaching the international community a grave lesson,” that the country’s decision to abandon its weapons programs in 2003 was undoubtedly “an invasion tactic to disarm the country” – according to North Korea’s Foreign Ministry. North Korea has been bombed by the US before, and they have no intention of letting that happen again. That is why, over and over again, the North Korean leadership has made it abundantly clear it will only give up its nuclear weapons program if the US meets them halfway:

“[T]he DPRK would neither put its nukes and ballistic rockets on the table of negotiations in any case nor flinch even an inch from the road of bolstering the nuclear force chosen by itself unless the U.S. hostile policy and nuclear threat to the DPRK are definitely terminated,” reads a statement from July 4, 2017.

Of course, North and South Korea are always free to pursue their own foreign policy agenda without the interference of the US. The decision to formally bring about the end of the Korean War is almost certainly progress, though one would be hard-pressed to realistically give credit for this positive development to the Trump administration, which has openly called for war in the Korean peninsula for over a year.

The presence of John Bolton in Trump’s already hawkish administration cannot be a coincidence, however, and it would appear that if the US gets its way, there will be no removal of the American military presence on North Korea’s border. Without this guarantee, North Korea will be unlikely to give up its weapons, as it has watched the US simulate an invasion of its territory every year without fail.

READ MORE: Nobel peace prize for Trump?: Russian senator says US taking undue credit for Korean deal

The current conundrum can best be described as a “hope for the best, but prepare for the worst” type scenario, in which there are too many known people behind the scenes who have ulterior motives far beyond that of the fruition of a peaceful relationship between North and South Korea – at least not until there is a government in Pyongyang that is more representative of Washington’s economic interests.

Darius Shahtahmasebi for RT

Darius Shahtahmasebi is a New Zealand based legal and political analyst. Follow him on Twitter @TVsLeaking

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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.


Mystery 'adversaries' jamming US gunships & disrupting communications in Syria – general
Published time: 27 Apr, 2018 00:04
Edited time: 27 Apr, 2018 08:09
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Mystery 'adversaries' jamming US gunships & disrupting communications in Syria – general
FILE PHOTO. US Air Force AC-130 gunship. / Reuters
The US has experienced "aggressive" electronic warfare from its "adversaries" in Syria, a top US general said. While media pointed finger at Russia, it denied involvement, saying it has better things to do than harass US aircraft.
The claim was made Tuesday by the head of the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Army General Tony Thomas. The "daily" interference in Syria disrupts US military communications and hampers aircraft missions, the general told the US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation's 2018 GEOINT Symposium.

"Right now in Syria, we're in the most aggressive EW [electronic warfare] environment on the planet from our adversaries," Thomas said. "They're testing us every day, knocking our communications down, disabling our AC-130s, et cetera."

Some reports suggested that Thomas was referring to the EC-130H Compass Call. The EC-130H is an aircraft specifically designed to counter and wage its own electronic warfare, and if the machines were rendered inoperable by some "adversaries" on their own field, it would have been quite an embarrassing revelation.

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A US soldier rides a military vehicle in the town of Darbasiya, Syria, April 28, 2017 / Rodi SaidNo plans to leave: Moscow says US has settled in Syria, contrary to ‘terrorist defeat’ promise
Footage of his speech, however, clearly shows that Thomas was talking about the AC-130 close air support (CAS) gunships, which fall under SOCOM command. While the General did not point fingers at anyone, the media, which reported on his remarks, implied and even explicitly claimed that Russians were behind the electronic interference.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis weighed in on Thursday, stating that he was not ready to pin the blame for the electronic interference in Syria on Russia. Apart from Moscow, Syrian government forces and Iranian servicemen are also present in the country, the official told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

Moscow has firmly rejected allegations of its involvement. Russia "has other things to do in Syria" than tamper with US gunships, Deputy head of the Federation Council defense committee Senator Yevgeniy Serebrennikov stated, namely helping Syrians to achieve and maintain a peaceful life.

"I don't know who are they calling 'adversaries' exactly, but Russia has nothing to do with it, and all the allegations are unsubstantiated," the official said.

‘Syrian strike was risk without benefit for US, as Russia got American weapon samples’
Published time: 25 Apr, 2018 22:39
Edited time: 26 Apr, 2018 07:57
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‘Syrian strike was risk without benefit for US, as Russia got American weapon samples’
Fragments of the US-led coalition missiles displayed by Russian General Staff Igor Ermachenkov / Reuters
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By striking Syria, the US and its allies basically sacrificed their advanced arms to Russia without receiving any actual benefit on the ground, Charles Shoebridge, a security analyst and former UK army officer, told RT.
The Russian Defense Ministry’s display of fragments of missiles, which were fired at Syrian targets by the Western allies on April 14, would be “a source of great concern to the American, British and French side,” Shoebridge said.

On Wednesday, Moscow also announced that it was in possession of two almost intact Western projectiles from Syria, including a Tomahawk cruise missile and another unnamed one. The Russian military said it plans to study both in order to further improve the Russian air defense capabilities.

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Alleged fragments of missiles fired by the US-led coalition on April 13-14 and shot down by the Syrian air defense forces, as shown by the Russian defense ministry. Igor Ermachenkov105 hits in Syria? Not likely, says Russia & shows fragments of missiles downed in US-led strikes
Shoebridge described the US-led attack as “a great risk for not much tangible benefit on the ground, given that these were civilian or largely empty targets” that were hit, while “the Russians have gained some technical knowledge of the weapon systems that actually were sacrificed by those three powers.”

The Russian Defense Ministry also showed missile fragments, saying they represent evidence disproving claims by US President Donald Trump and various US military officials, who boasted that all of the 105 missiles fired on Syria reached their targets. Russia previously said that there were only 25 successful hits during the attack, while the rest of the missiles were either downed by Syrian air defenses or they malfunctioned.

Shoebridge pointed out that American claims of 100 percent accuracy of the bombardment were likely unrealistic. “With such a large number of weapons being fired and anti-aircraft fire being directed at them, you would expect, at the very least, a small proportion of them not to get through,” he said.

The analyst stopped short of backing either version of the events, saying that, “some figure in between… is perhaps where the truth might lie.”

“Even from a successful strike you will find some fragments from the weapons used, but usually not in the kind of sizes that we’re talking about here,” Shoebridge said. “But certainly the existence of fragments like this could point to the fact that some missiles malfunctioned, were shot down or simply landed in the wrong place.”

When asked about the possible US reaction to Wednesday’s revelations, he said that “it will be handled publically, probably, the way it’s usually handled, which is either be ignored or the think tanks and so-called experts will be tasked to ridicule these Russian reports.”

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French Rafale jet with a Storm-Shadow / SCALP cruise missile mbda-systems.comMacron’s fizzle: 12 French missiles launched at Syria, but several more fail to fire
Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon has already called the statements by Russia’s Defense Ministry "absurd,” saying that they were “another example of the Russian disinformation campaign.”

The US-led missile strikes were justified by unverified reports of an alleged use of poisonous gas in the town of Douma in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta on April 7 and targeted what the West called the Syrian government’s chemical weapons facilities. Syria, which destroyed all of its chemical stockpiles in 2013 and 2014 under international supervision, has denied the claims, while Moscow provided evidence that the Douma attack was actually fabricated.

According to Shoebridge, Wednesday’s statement by the Russian military that no traces of chemical weapons were discovered at the Syrian sites targeted by the coalition was “consistent with what was being reported by media outside the US, UK and France.” He recalled that “even a day after those strikes when those buildings were burning and there was a lot of smoke still around you had large crowds of reporters… on the scene not wearing protective equipment,” which would have been deadly in case of a chemical spill.




‘Maybe things will work out, maybe not’: Trump hedges bets on N. Korea
Published time: 22 Apr, 2018 14:31
Edited time: 23 Apr, 2018 07:53
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‘Maybe things will work out, maybe not’: Trump hedges bets on N. Korea
File photo of missiles at a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea on February February 9, 2018. KCNA/via REUTERS / Reuters
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Ahead of sit-down talks with North Korea’s leader, US President Donald Trump defended his tough-talking stance against the nation, remarking that efforts to resolve tensions between the two could still amount to nought.
Trump is expected to meet with Kim Jong Un in the coming months. Over the past year, diplomatic relations between the two leaders at one stage declined to the point where the US president threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea.

READ MORE: Trump: US may have no choice but to ‘totally destroy’ North Korea
https://www.rt.com/usa/403810-trump-first-speech-unga/
Published time: 19 Sep, 2017 14:04
Edited time: 20 Sep, 2017 06:01


The meeting will provide the US with an opportunity to propose dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program, which in 2017 was held up by Jong Un’s administration as a means to attack the US territory, Guam.

On Sunday, the US president acknowledged the possibility that talks between the two countries will not be successful. In a series of tweets, which opened with the president making fun of NBC’s Chuck Todd, Trump said “maybe things will work out, maybe they won't.”


Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump
 Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Fake News NBC just stated that we have given up so much in our negotiations with North Korea, and they have given up nothing. Wow, we haven’t given up anything & they have agreed to denuclearization (so great for World), site closure, & no more testing!

1:50 PM - Apr 22, 2018
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Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump
 ....We are a long way from conclusion on North Korea, maybe things will work out, and maybe they won’t - only time will tell....But the work I am doing now should have been done a long time ago!

2:02 PM - Apr 22, 2018
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The tweets echo recent comments Trump made in relation to the US relationship with Iran and Russia. Speaking after the US participated in airstrikes against Syria, Trump said: “Hopefully someday we’ll get along with Russia, and maybe even Iran, but maybe not.”

North Korea’s stance towards nuclear arms has eased in recent days, with Pyongyang announcing its intention to freeze missile production and scrap a major test site. US Vice President Mike Pence said the news showed that pressure being applied by Washington and its allies is working.

READ MORE: ‘US will say they saved the world’ while peaceful Russian approach on N. Korea won – Moscow

Head of Russia's Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, believes China and Russia have also played a significant role without resorting to threats.

“Keeping the channels of the dialogue with Pyongyang by Beijing and Moscow was not a less important instrument than public threats to ‘wipe off the map’ from Washington,” he said.



North Korea promises to close nuke test site in May – South
Published time: 29 Apr, 2018 02:19
Edited time: 29 Apr, 2018 08:25
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North Korea promises to close nuke test site in May – South
Administrator of Korea Meteorological Administration (L) points at epicenter of seismic waves from apparent North Korean hydrogen bomb test, January 6, 2016 Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters
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North Korea plans to close its nuclear weapons test site in May and give South Korean and US experts and the media access to the process, South Korea says.
The closure was apparently decided upon when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met for a historic summit on Friday. They also agreed to make the dismantlement public, Moon's chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan said.

"Some say that we are terminating facilities that are not functioning, but you will see that they are in good condition," Yoon quoted Kim as saying. The North's leader said he would invite security experts and journalists. He said his country won't need nukes if the US promises non-aggression, Yonhap reports.

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ReutersNew era, no more war: Two Koreas agree on complete denuclearization
The Seoul spokesperson also said Kim will change the North Korean time zone to match that of the South. Currently, Seoul is 30 minutes ahead of Pyongyang.

Friday's summit appears to have been a breakthrough in winding down the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. For the first time in over a decade, the leaders of the North and the South met at the border and eventually signed a declaration of shared commitment to the complete denuclearization of the peninsula. They also agreed to have further talks that would include other countries, including Seoul's ally the US and Pyongyang's backer China, in an effort to finally sign a peace accord instead of the truce that has been in place since the Korean War ended in 1953.

The next step is Kim's much-awaited meeting with US President Donald Trump, which could happen as soon as within the next three or four weeks. Trump has been pursuing what he calls a "maximum pressure" policy against North Korea, with severe economic sanctions and near-constant live-fire military drills at its border, as well as a Twitter offensive, which included name-calling, threats and boasting about having a bigger nuclear button. Trump has now moved on to calling Kim "very honorable," but he has still threatened to walk out of the talks if he doesn't deem them to be fruitful.