The U.S. political process seems to rely on a steady supply of foreign “enemies” to hate, but sometimes politicians overcome hostilities and talk out differences, which remains the hope for the North Korean standoff, says Ann Wright.
By Ann Wright
Enemies of the United States come and go, but the longer they espouse revolutionary ideals and thus defy the United States, the longer they stay enemies. Eventually, U.S. officials try other strategies, such as engagement, to undermine or win over these adversaries.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Currently, the U.S. does not recognize/have diplomatic relations with only three countries—two built on revolutionary models that the U.S. doesn’t like, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the communist regime of North Korea — and Bhutan, a remote Asian kingdom in the Himalayan mountains that purposely isolates itself and has diplomatic relations with only India.
I’m on the way to visit a former U.S. enemy but now recognized diplomatically by the U.S.: Cuba. This trip will be my third in 18 months and the second since the U.S. reopened diplomatic relations with Cuba. The Obama administration took the big leap of talking with the “enemy” with its secret discussions with the Cuban government over a period of two years.
While discussions were proceeding, commercial businessmen and journalists provided the political cover for Obama to withstand the withering criticism from those who strongly opposed dealing with the Cuban government that has been in power since the Cuban revolution in 1959. The U.S. broke diplomatic relations with the new Cuban government on Jan. 3, 1961, because of its nationalization of U.S. businesses in Cuba and its alliance with the Soviet Union.
On July 20, 2015, U.S.-Cuban relations were reestablished after 54 years. On March 20, 2016, President Obama visited Cuba, becoming the first U.S. President in 88 years to visit the island.
Yet, despite diplomatic relations, U.S. sanctions and restrictions remain on Cuban trade and commerce, based on the “Trading with the Enemy Act” and kept in place by strong political pressure from south Florida and its Cuban émigré population, much of which moved to Florida to escape the Cuban revolution. But the U.S. and Cuban decisions to dialogue showed that long broken diplomatic ties can be reestablished.
There was hope that the Obama administration would reach a similar accommodation with Iran after almost four decades of ruptured ties resulting from the seizure of the U.S. Embassy by Iranian militants on Nov. 4, 1979, and the holding of 52 U.S. diplomats for 444 days. But negotiations with the Iranian government to constrain the Iranian nuclear program in 2015 have not yet led to reestablishment of diplomatic relations.
Both the Obama and now Trump administrations have made clear that the U.S. will not talk about reestablishing diplomatic ties because of what Washington calls Iran’s meddling in the affairs of its neighbors — Iraq, Syria and Yemen. For its part, Iran notes that the U.S. has invaded and occupied countries in Iran’s neighborhood for over 16 years, Afghanistan and Iraq, and has launched military operations in other countries in the region, including Syria and Yemen.
Peoples Republic of China
During much of the Cold War, Washington refused to recognize the communist Chinese government that controlled the mainland in favor of defeated Nationalists who had fled to Taiwan. However, in July 1971, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made a secret trip to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), followed by President Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1972.
President Richard Nixon with his then-National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger in 1972.
The U.S. did not fully recognize the PRC until 30 years after its founding as a communist state because of the PRC’s participation in the Korean War on the side of the North Koreans. Finally, on Jan. 1, 1979, during the Carter administration, the U.S. switched recognition from Taiwan to the PRC.
Russia
Interestingly, the United States never broke diplomatic relations with the communist government in the Soviet Union, from its founding in 1917 through the tense days of the Cold War. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1992, the U.S. shifted diplomatic relations to the Russian Federation. Even with the current high tensions with Russia, dialogue continues as does cooperation in certain areas. For example, the Russians’ launch-and-return responsibilities of the international astronaut corps to the International Space Station have not been interrupted.
Vietnam
In the late 1950s, the United States embarked on its longest war at the time, 15 years of attempting to overthrow the communist government of North Vietnam and to maintain a pro-U.S. regime in South Vietnam. After the defeat of the Japanese in World War II, the United States supported France in trying to reestablish its colonial control of Vietnam. After France was defeated and Vietnam was partitioned, the United States blocked elections that likely would have reunified the country under communist Ho Chi Minh and eventually the U.S. committed half a million troops to the ensuing civil war. In 1975, however, the South Vietnamese government collapsed, dealing the U.S. a humiliating defeat.
It wasn’t until 1995, 20 years later, when President Bill Clinton established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Vietnam. “Pete” Peterson, an Air Force pilot during the Vietnam War who spent over six years as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese army after his plane was shot down, became the first U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam. In January 2007, Congress approved Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Vietnam.
North Korea
In the same region, the U.S. never diplomatically recognized the government of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) after World War II but instead set up its own compliant government in South Korea.
A map of the Korean Peninsula showing the 38th Parallel where the DMZ was established in 1953. (Wikipedia)
During the Korean War in the early 1950s, the strategy of the United States was to crush North Korea with a scorched-earth policy that leveled virtually every town and city. Though the hot war ended with an armistice in 1953, there was never a peace treaty, leaving North Koreans to face a huge U.S. military presence in South Korea while the U.S. assisted South Korea in building a powerful economy. While South Korea blossomed economically, North Korea had to divert its human and economic resources into defending its sovereign country from continuing threats of attack, invasion and regime change from the United States.
North Korea, however, did expand its diplomatic relations with most nations. At the start of the Cold War, North Korea only had diplomatic recognition from other communist countries but it later established relations with developing countries and joined the Non-Aligned Movement. By 1976, North Korea was recognized by 93 countries and by August 2016 it was recognized by 164 countries. The United Kingdom established diplomatic relations with the DPRK in 2000 and Canada, Germany and New Zealand recognized North Korea in 2001. Today, the United States, France, Japan and Saudi Arabia are the only large states that do not have diplomatic relations with North Korea.
Under the new Trump administration, dialogue with the North Koreans has not been ruled out. However, as with the Bush and Obama administrations, the starting point for the U.S. for talks is still the North Korean government suspending or ending its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Those demands are non-starters for the North Korean government without a peace treaty and while the U.S. continues annual military maneuvers with the South Korean military, threatening regime change in the North. The latest set of maneuvers was code-named “Decapitation.”
The North Koreans are also aware what happened to Iraq and Libya after their leaders surrendered WMD stockpiles, a move followed by U.S.-backed invasions and the executions of the two countries’ leaders.
North Korean leaders consider their nuclear program the only deterrent to another U.S. invasion. So, while under the most stringent international sanctions, North Korea has developed nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and has placed satellites into orbit.
Thus, despite U.S. threats, U.S. leaders have to contemplate the potential destruction of South Korea and much of Japan if the U.S. launches a new war against the North. That is why the only rational hope for resolving the standoff is to finally negotiate a Korean peace treaty and make the North Koreans no longer terrified of another U.S. “regime change” war.
Ann Wright served 29 years in the U.S. Army/Army Reserves and retired as a Colonel. She was a U.S. diplomat for 16 years and served in U.S. Embassies in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan and Mongolia. She resigned from the U.S. diplomatic corps in March 2003 in opposition to President Bush’s war on Iraq. She is the co-author of Dissent: Voices of Conscience.
” the longer they espouse revolutionary ideals and thus defy the United States,” – which says it all. Do not defy the Empire. Do not resist our demands. Do not refuse to obey.
The U.S. population has already been totally subjugated, as has most of the world to the Empire. But subjugation requires the whole world to bow down to the demands of Empire. Revolutionary ideals, as noble, correct and necessary as they be, cannot be tolerated. Therefore, prepare to be “boarded” by the Empire, where we will inspect from within and without on the compliance to the Great Empire.
The US is a disgusting country.
Good luck with the US getting North Korea to buy into that! Un is too sharp to believe that the US will ‘make him believe that they will not go through with a regime change’in N Korea if they capitulate to US and UN demands! He isn’t stupid….he saw what happened to Iraq and Libya…the US will just have to live with it just like they will have to live with Iran…..unless there is a deranged mind in the US that decides to do a pre-eminent attack on either…but then Russia and China will get involved .and the earth will be toast. There is a very violent and crazed mindset in Washington that wants war so badly that they will make the move toward total annihilation if there was a possibility they could accomplish it without any harm to themselves….that wouldn’t happen in the best case scenario, so give it up…the US does not and will not ever dominate the world no matter how big their dream is.
Now I see in The Telegraph that the Air Force has corrected when the second flight of the X-37 B was launched in March 2011, trying apparently to show that the mistake was just an oversight.
Some realism about Korea: http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/05/08/history-and-hypocrisy-why-the-korean-war-matters-in-the-age-of-trump/
It is telling that real open intellectual discussion of current issues should be pushed into small corners such as this blog represents. When even these venues shut down the darkness will be becoming total.
Most commentary on CN are obviously people who read widely, and for that reason I consider CN among the most enlightening websites. I have learned many things from other comments. Kalen’s commentary was quite instructive on Kim Jong-Un, for example, and there are others on this thread. I may sound biased to say this, but I feel that Americans are shockingly closed-minded because of their conditioning, usually through government-controlled media. Reading comments on many websites shows just how bigoted many people have become, and self-righteous about their bigotry, too.
“… I feel that Americans are shockingly closed-minded because of their conditioning, usually through government-controlled media…”
You may be interested to read Julian Ninio’s book, “The Empire of Ignorance, Hypocrisy and Obedience” as it examines this and related issues of what ails America. It may be out of print now though.
He wrote a short opinion piece around his book’s theme in 2004, when visiting the Sydney Writers Festival.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/23/1085250869280.html
Think North Korea is made to appear to be a serious enemy by claiming falsely that is was becoming a serious nuclear threat and promoter by hitting it with laser weapons, and claiming that the resulting earthquakes were unique surface nuclear tests – what former disgusting SoD Robert Gates complimented weapons designer Danny Stillman on for figuring out how to adapt America’s latest scientific developments “to solve unmanageable problems.” (quoted from Gates from the back off the dust jacket of Stillman and Thomas Reed;’s The Nuclear Express.)
This was making satellites designed to shoot down enemy ICBMs when they were being launched, but when they were no longer needed into surprise quake on desirable targets.
Posters and authors are always avoiding what Reagan’s people were able to do with Star Wars investments.
In this regard, why is the US Air Force lying about when the Boeing X-37B was first launched?
It says now it was first launched in April 2011, while it was launched around March 5th, first reported on the 7th, and the Tohoku earthquake off Japan took place on the 10th.
Is this part of the cover up of what really happened?
The American people will have a hard time controlling its government if it is constantly lying to it.
If we can’t practice peace with each other here, what have we got to offer in the larger sphere of society?
Decent article but, quite a bit of twaddle in the comment section.
What deep thoughts you have. Thanks for sharing.
Scott, the comments make the article and give it perspective., If it wasn’t for the comments much of this stuff wouldn’t be read or even looked at. The comments give one an idea as to how other people are thinking about the subject matter, which lets the rest of us know that we are not the only ones who think about politics in a particular way. Before the advent of the internet blogs and associated comments, I used to think I was the only person in the world who see could what the ‘state’ etc was really up to. Maybe I’m a nutter, but at least I know there are millions out their who share my own point of view and who bring their views to my attention as well.
I agree John. We commenter’s should be restrained in our criticism of fellow commenter’s. The atmosphere in the comments portion of this blog has been generally very good and conducive to civil, thoughtful sharing of views. We all learn from this. It is so easy to take cheap shots at those you disagree with, and hold them in contempt from your supposed superior position. I have to watch myself not to indulge in that sort of stuff. One reason I like to share here is the moderate way we treat each other as a rule. Political views can get pretty hot and contentious, so it pays to exercise some self restraint….
Decent article but, quite a bit of twaddle in the comment section.
Give loup-bouc a call, Scott. He might be in your league; although, if you don’t speak French you might have a problem. Loup tends to lapse into that beautiful language on occasions for no apparent reason.
However you cut it Fidel and his revolution lost, neoliberal virus has infected his nation while South and Central American offensive of political left is collapsing. He is dead and US is as vicious and murderous as ever and still existing.
Cuban Revolution was one of most significant civilizational events in the history of North/Central America, since Haitian first successful anti-slavery uprising in XIX century,will rest in Peace Now while we all drift into dark ages and war.
Having said that US nurtures its enemies most of them fictitious like Fidel who was an enthusiast of the Idea of American revolution and NK is no different, regime built on peoples’ revolution via anti-colonial struggle under imperial regime.
Whatever your geopolitical persuasion if you think that number one problem with Boy Un in NK is that he is a madman soon to be with nukes capable of reaching US West coast think again.
First if he really was a madman he already have proven weapons (possibly also chemical WMD) capable of reaching 200 miles into US shores from his fleet of submarines periodically visiting US west coast
Second, if you think that raised and educated in Switzerland Boy Un is a madman I would point you to another madman in WH to nuke.
In fact what is dangerous about Boy Un is his infatuation with the western commercial culture and consumerism that exceeds his farther’s, making him prone to addiction to greed rather than power alone, the very weapon of mass economic destruction that devastated America already so in fact there is nothing to conquer in the US except for Grizzly bears an Grand canyon while they last.
Well still, if you think the Boy Un and his (and NK people) worshiping of his ancestors (dad and granddad) is weird ask any Japanese who is current emperor of Japan. He will tell you Emperor is a direct descendants of the Sun, yes, the Sun (god) had sex with another god and made first Japaneses emperor.
Too much cult worshiping for you.
The cult worshiping in embedded in Asian culture much more than in western culture and serves a way of command and control of the people under made up phony religious-like (in NK ideological) claims of divinity of the ancestors that cannot be questioned or denied.
Talking to ghosts of ancestors was as popular a millennium ago as it is today in Japan, just examine NHK broadcast from this year alone documenting otherwise relational Japanese talking with ghosts of the dead.
What you see in NK is what you saw in Japan between 1845 and 1945 under ideology of Shinto cult and after 1945 is the same cult covered with western commercial culture while the “soul of Japanese people” remains the same as in NK or even SK, former under political Soviet/Chinese grip while latter under US grip.
Actually with Trump it is hard to say who is crazy or unstable Trump or Boy Un.
It was Un father who begin to work on nuclear weapons and ICBMs after he saw what happened with Saddam Hussein, wrongly accused of WMD and removed with no shred of evidence. Un who grew up in Switzerland continued his father plans but more for economic reasons than geopolitical reasons.
Believe or not Un supported massive reduction of military in NK that constitutes a huge burden obstacle for faster development of consumer market, he wants to see in NK (he remakes Pyongyang into a western style city, rather the soviet style city of his grandfather) and most of all he wanted to develop the efficient agriculture since in NK they have only 4 months of agricultural season.
But there was another solution to the problem of invigorating NK economy via reduction in military spending that was on the table for twenty years already, namely mutual reduction of military in NK and SK and withdrawal of US troops following signing finally a peace treaty and developing method and schedule for reunification
US flatly rejected it every-time it was proposed even by SK government, because as Trump loving Chinese tell us even today, US is not there in SK to fight/protect against NK but to protect their own self-imposed hegemonic interests in Asia (and perhaps keep peace between both Koreas and Japan since old wounds did not heal yet) and hence deployed THAAD that radar covers over 1000 miles into highly militarized Manchuria, China.
In fact the refusal of post WWII peace treaty by US was to protect Japan from massive reparations for FORTY years long Japanese occupation and enslavement of Koreans.
It is laughable reading US MSM aimed for American sheeple, brainwashing about NK as it is run by a unstable psychotic (which he may as well be) while these are US policies that are surely psychotic and put the world on the verge of nuclear war for nothing at all.
In fact Kim dynasty is a direct product of American belligerence after WWII and continuing preventing any equitable peace arrangements in the region.
The question for all of us remain why?
Why NK is not allowed her own “Nixon trip to China”, normalization of relations like with Nixon did with communist China, opening up relations and by that weaken the autocratic rule in NK they fraudulently clam they seek?
The answer is that US imperial military would have been obsolete there, would have no excuse to be there and by that US grip in the region would diminish and that D.C. neocons would never accept.
There is much truth in your perspective on NK militarism as defense, the product of US miltarism and imperial fantasies. Probably “NK is not allowed her own ‘Nixon trip to China’ normalization of relations” because the Repubs finally figured out that China did not want war, nor a highly militarized N Vietnam or NK on its border.
Because it is so obvious that threat reduction is the key to peace in Korea, one must suspect that the US propaganda against NK is a diversion from the Mideast wars that keep zionist bribes flowing to US tyrant politicians. The MIC also bribes them to hype threats. To be elected, they must create foreign enemies to pose falsely as protectors and accuse their moral superiors of disloyalty. The cause is the US pathology of poor government structure, allowing economic powers to control mass media and elections.
This article should have mentioned H.R. 1644, The Korea Interdiction And Modernization Of Sanctions Act, that will be coming to a vote in The United States House Of Representatives under a special rule that requires a 2/3’s majority to pass. The Russian Federation has called thus bill “an act of war” as it targets not just DPRK, but Russia, China, Iran, and Syria and calls for, among other things, seizure of ships and aircraft of these countries that have visited DPRK on the high seas(international waters). Specific ports in the four named countries might be subject to blockade(unclear). Countries that allow DPRK citizens work permits would be subject to sanctions(20,000 DPRK citizens work in Russia). There is much more. For the deluded fans of Tulsi Gabbard she is a co-sponsor of this ugly bill(with numerous others). Note that HR 1644 has not passed the House and the Senate does not have the bill.
Tulsi….. say it ain’t so….
I do not know who is running this world, but it’s evident that whoever it is is mad, insane, psychopathic. Came across this video by a fellow who started out being an entrepreneur, got introduced to the world of currency trading, and from there his life went downhill. He was asked by the banker who agreed to teach him what he knew whether he could suspend his conscience. He was young, he thought he could, and he did for a long time.
In the video he speaks of his clients as being from the elite. He eventually (if the video is to be believed) got introduced to some type of Satanistic rituals performed by these elite. He said he didn’t believe in any of it, but enjoyed the women who were provided.
Then he was asked to make a sacrifice – abroad – of children (kinder). He said this is when he realized that he didn’t have what it took to be a psychopath; he couldn’t do it. He said these guys want to have some form of blackmail over you. Obviously, if they can’t get it, you don’t get in the club.
Anyway, he was trapped. He tried to maintain working for them, but his conscience began to get the better of him, to the point where he just snapped, his body just shut down, and he woke up in the hospital. I’ve never really believed in all this Illuminati stuff, but many do believe it exists. Perhaps it does, if only for the blackmail aspect of it.
At 24:30 of the video, watch his body language. If he’s acting, he’s a very good actor. He is clearly upset about recalling the stuff about the children.
He says that the elite want to keep everybody split apart and fighting each other (blacks against whites, Muslims against Christians, etc.) That way they maintain control. And he said that they hate us, hate our guts.
Give it a watch. Go to Youtube and type in “Ex-Illuminati Banker Exposes The Elite – In English Audio – Ronald Bernard”. If true, we are in over our heads with these guys.
It is not really necessary to know or believe that those doing evil deeds on a mass scale are indulging in Satanic rituals. By their fruits you will know them. Those willing to kill huge numbers of innocent men, women, and children qualify as dangerously evil whether they ritualize it or not. What they believe may be very murky and hard to discern, but they are convicted by their actions.
mike k – the video was just interesting in that the fellow didn’t seem to have too much of a problem using women or hearing that his currency trading caused an Italian man to kill himself, but when they tried to get him to sacrifice children, that was his breaking point. I guess we all have one.
But, if the video is real, it’s amazing the tests that the elite put you through in order to see how far you’ll go. If you go all the way, you’re part of their club; they have something to hold over you, blackmail. Psychopaths are very smart people. Unfortunately for us, we are being led by highly intelligent beings devoid of all conscience. Scary thought.
And like the guy said in the video, very few know that this is occurring.
Now, how do you fight that?
And psychopaths are not long-term thinkers. Their only concern is what’s in it for them at the present moment or in the very short-term. Our children and grandchildren would not even enter into their minds. Liars, schemers, manipulators, conscience-less, they will stop at nothing to get what they want (ultimate power and control), not even our deaths.
The only thing that will stop them is if they are seen (which is what they truly fear) for what they really are, and the people banish the lot of them. They must all go.
Great wrongs are usually done by people who simply do not sympathize with others, not by some extraordinary class like “psychopaths” or “satanic” cults who hate everyone. It is the ordinary nature of the tyrant’s faults that causes tyranny to spring up eternally and everywhere.
Yes, perhaps 80 percent of US military resources could be re-purposed for development of infrastructure and basic services to the developing nations, with no economic impact upon the US at all. We could have lifted half the world from poverty since WWII, and improved our security substantially, but instead have killed millions, destroyed entire regions, and ruined our security. We could still do that at any time, and provide health care and guaranteed employment at home. The only enemy of the US is the warmongers creating fake enemies to get bribes from the zionist tyrants.
Exactly Sam. And the warmongers are emboldened and enabled by the success of their brainwashing of the American public, which is now ignorant, passive, and deluded as they are led to their slaughter. Those at the top of the power pyramid are mad with paranoid delusions of grandeur, and believe they are “saving the world.” When in fact they are the agents of it’s destruction. They have taken the insane idea of saving the village by destroying it to it’s maxiuim, and are willing to destroy the world so it does not fall into evil hands, when the truth is those hands are their own.
mike k – I don’t believe they think they are “saving the world”. I don’t think that’s their motive at all. Benevolent people might feel that way, but not these guys. I doubt they have a conscience at all. They probably sense they’re different from others. Their whole life they’ve watched and copied what others are doing, but none of it comes from within them.
These guys are psychopaths, and psychopaths are interested in power, control. Wealth just follows naturally from that. Psychopaths think others are just plain stupid. Compassion? To them, they don’t recognize the concept.
Exactly so, B-E, such power-hungry warmongers only pose their actions as an attempt to “save the world.” It’s like “destroying the village to save it,” though on a grander scale. They know better, they are not stupid, but they are willing to do what is evil and insane to procure the power and riches they want. There simply is no moral or logical imperative for these psychopaths to rule, not just the United States, not just Western Europe, not just the Western hemisphere, and not just all the third world, but all of Russia and China too. They are not saving the Russians or the Chinese (or the Iranians or the North Koreans, for that matter) from themselves. They are simply putting the future of the entire human race and the biosphere itself at risk by claiming jurisdiction over the whole planet on blatantly false pretexts. There is nothing exceptional about the maniacs who run our country, other than their lack of morals and compassion. They are clearly not constraining an expansionist Russia or China, nor governments oppressive of their own people or threatening to the United States. I only see those two countries incessantly trying to cooperate with America and only maintaining defensive military capabilities which the United States pushes to the limits. But the United States actually has the gall to characterise internal defensive positioning of forces as “aggression.” This is, of course, absolute rubbish that no one believes, certainly not the purveyors of it.
Keep in mind that what may be labeled poverty by economists may actually be rich barter cultures.
[This was sent to “moderation.” If, as some here believe, that is a function of including cited links, I will now remove the links so my thoughts can be shared. This stuff is too important to block on such trivial matters.]
Why so many “enemies” of the United States? Apparently, the figures behind the scenes who run this madhouse think it’s their world, and everyone else just lives in it, so they get to call the shots and if you don’t like it you can lump it. In their mind, no other country is entitled to autonomy, even if they want a practically isolated existence like the “Hermit Kingdom” of North Korea. Certainly small countries like Cuba that would go out and influence the world by doing good works, such as medical and relief assistance, must be beaten down if they have no permission from Washington.
It is thoroughly stupifying, but the maniacs who squander our tax dollars actually think they have a right to take down Russia and China with nuclear first strikes because they will not kowtow and submit to annexation by the Empire. Analysts have said that’s what the encirclement of these two countries with American military bases and nuclear-capable missile batteries ( from an essay by paul craig roberts titled “sauron rules washington” ) and the development of the new “super fuze” nuclear missile technology that will hit their targets within 5 MINUTES of launch leaving those countries with no capacity whatsoever for a retaliatory second strike ( from an essay by Eric Zeusse titled “americas top scientists confirm us goal now is to conquer russia” ) is all about.
Once the technology, which Obama approved and dedicated one trillion dollars towards, is deployed expect Washington to make its move. The creatures in control certainly want this accomplished before mid-century when multiple economic, environmental, population, resource and societal crises are projected to converge, and they seem not to care that “winning” such a war ensures the annihilation of any life forms living on the surface of the planet for a very prolonged period and maybe forever. Maybe they believe that none of this is real, that the material world is just a simulation, like a video game, and will simply be reset after they “win” the game. Or, maybe they are bigger religious fanatics than the Islamic jihadists and hope to usher in the second coming by precipitating Armageddon. They are certainly not sane.
So, what choice is left to the rest of the world, when resistance truly does become futile? Submit all sovereignty to the maniacs to preserve our species and life itself on the planet? Or, die fighting to extirpate the evil though it means the end of all that is good as well? The planet needs to unite, Europe and the rest of the developed world need to cast aside their bondage to the evil that America has become and confront it together before it reaches the end stage. America must be stripped of its bases and the technology of instant death it is developing must be brought to a halt. North Korea and Iran are far from the real problem, they are simply contrivances for expanded American aggression, and an intelligent world would know this. A courageous world would do something about it.
Apparently, the figures behind the scenes who run this madhouse think it’s their world, and everyone else just lives in it, so they get to call the shots and if you don’t like it you can lump it.
The same or something similar could have been said of empires of the past that eventually had their comeuppance. The leaders in Britain, France, Belgium and The Netherlands managed to retain some power because they faced the realities that their policies were no longer sustainable and reached an accommodation with their former colonies to avoid a total collapse.
What path will the American empire follow? Decline and collapse if the warmongers and empire builders remain in charge. If enough of the American people wake up and resist then a viable future for all could be a possibility. I caught a nut case on television earlier this week in a discussion about health care. He contended, despite lots of evidence to the contrary in western Europe and Cuba, that we can’t afford to provide medical care to the old and infirm. Naturally, the anchor on this MSM channel let him get away with this meretricious nonsense. If we quit pouring trillions of dollars into that five-sided black hole on the Potomac we could provide excellent health care to anyone from the newly-born to those at the end of their lives. And schools. Bridges. Free entry to all national parks, monuments, and forests. Bring an end to poverty. And more.
Allow me to repeat a point I made several months ago on Consortium News. Instead of the United States building F-35s that don’t work, and other aircraft and ships that are only capable of destruction we should build air ambulances and hospital ships and follow Cuba’s examples of delivering medical care to other parts of the world. We would then stop making enemies and start making friends.
I perused a graph on Zero Hedge just the other day which established that, of the trillion dollars of debt the federal government now borrows every year, mostly to pay for their toys of death and destruction, over half a trillion dollars is now paid out annually to cover the interest on that previous borrowing. So, for every buck we presently borrow, we squander half a buck paying interest, leaving only half a rock to buy the shit the generals now covet. Of course, none of that’s an accident. It’s all according to plan.
Realist and Bill I hear what you are saying. While reading both of your comments I could not help but reflect on how when this all started, the hegemony project that is, was when the White European landed on the shores of the Americas. It is well known how many others, from various far off lands had come and gone to both North and South America before the European of the 15th Century, and yet hardly had these earlier foreigners disturbed the indigenous of this vast land we now call our own. Taking this into consideration we must ask ourselves what gives our White European culture the idea that we are so entitled, as to feel so right about uprooting centuries old people’s, as if these civilizations don’t matter?
If the U.S. and it’s European allies are ever to come to terms with this egomaniacal mindset, we must first come to an age of repentance. Yes, Western Culture must first come to grips with the chaos and death that it has brought forward, and follow through with a whole new way of accepting the world for what it is. Being the world’s largest super power would make it all the more easier, since the U.S. could leverage it’s powers in a peaceful honorable way as to bring disarmament and detente to the table. If this were to happen in a true setting of peace, it goes without saying how strong the U.S. would become in the eyes of every citizen who walks upon this earth….but then there are those in power who would only laugh at me for saying such things, and along with their laughter I would hear them loudly call me a naive dreamer.
Taking this into consideration we must ask ourselves what gives our White European culture the idea that we are so entitled, as to feel so right about uprooting centuries old people’s, as if these civilizations don’t matter?
One answer, Joe, is that they get away with there barbarous behavior. To cite an example that came to mind was the French aristocracy that had contempt for the people until the people rose against them with their revolution. Fast forward to one of Michael Moore’s movies when someone said something about the differences between Americans and the French. Americans fear their government but the French government fears the people. This latter part may be changing with the European Central Bankers playing hardball with all the Europeans.
Let me tell you of something I imagine, and then do with it as you will.
Picture in 2017 a new political party who is assembled in a hall in Philadelphia. This new party would actually write a New U.S. Constitution (which may resemble the original 1789 Constitution) but never the less a new commitment would be made to all citizens of the world…actually a political party which could expand would not be a bad idea, but this party would delete the race, color, or creed and be all gender inclusive by just using the word ‘human being’ …okay two words. Under all Executive Orders the U.S. would be liability bound to no foreign entanglements, of any other type of entanglement, as the kind found inside and including election campaign donations made by foreign governments & their oligarchs, because the whole system of how our elections are run needs a major and massive overall…starting with lobbyist & campaign money & the corporate media network be at the top on this new party’s Constitution & like I said all Executive Orders, to erase the corporate control over the citizen government. This would need to be a party able to go up against the two major ones now.
I could go on, but we need the spirit of 1776 in the hands of the majority. I would encourage this party to have a hands off on Wedge Issues. You for abortion or against it is the individuals choice, and the same with guns, and bathrooms. Gays would be covered under ‘human being’ so everyone safe…but wedge issues would not be good to get hung up on. Women would make as much as any man because she and he are both human beings.
Environmental would be an agency of untouchable foundations. Because of it’s importance along with Healthcare these two important items would be funded fine after a 60% cut in defense spending. GE & Lockheed would get orders for ecological needs, to replace war products. I would bring America back by funding local small farmers who would use only organic methods. This farming renovation would be a fraction under saving our streams, and water ways.
I could go on, as you no doubt can tell Bill, but Americans need a new political party. This generation needs it’s own Thomas Paine to give spirit and meaning to a populace lacking the knowledge of where to go, and how to change things. This new party could be a real happening when you come to see that the electorate it needs are there. These new party voters could be comprised of disappointed Obama supporters now mixed in with discouraged Trump voters…then the largest piece of voters would come from the people who hate Hillary Clinton, and despises McCain & Graham.
I wish late night tv would advertise a ‘How To Kit’ but for now I thought I would share this with you,,and hopefully you could shut your eyes and imagine with me a new spirit of a patriotism which would bring new meaning to the word again, and make us happy even if for a brief moment, but give you hope even if there is none. This party’s appeal could be so big, that if Bernie did it with $27 dollar donations this new party could do it with $10 dollar donations….after a couple of elections you wouldn’t even need that much.
I agree with what you are saying Realist. The problem is that so many, even in high places of power are unable to see the urgency of our present world crisis, and prefer to concentrate on small manageable parts. The big picture is truly frightening for anyone who wants humankind to go on and accomplish some of the beautiful things we have shown we are capable of.
Those of us who are awakening to the dire emergency on Earth need to bend every effort of mind and heart to head off the terrible holocaust that is looming ever closer with each disastrous step taken by those currently in power. If there is a solution to our situation, it must be found very soon. Because matters could go out of control any moment now.
excellent
North Korea’s been acting very rationally over the last several years, very rationally indeed.
What Pyongyang has witnessed since the dissolution of the USSR is a rapacious and imperialist Washington attacking each and every independent state that 1.) runs its state economy to the benefit of its people and not the predators and parasites on Wall Street, the Fortune 500, and the City of London, 2.) offers diplomatic support to the Palestinians and criticizes the grotesque violence and land grabs Tel Aviv routinely carries out, and 3.) does NOT possess nuclear weapons.
If you’re an independent state, watch out! Washington-Zio militarists and the state-corporate media nexus will target you unmercifully with a demonization campaign like no other, with the ultimate goal being regime change via proxy forces or actual imperial soldiers. The vilification will be non-stop, accusing “state actors” of hacking, aiding terrorists, drug running, etc. You name the nefarious or perfidious act and some blowhard Western mouthpiece will accuse the sovereign independent state of the deed.
Be it Panama, Somalia, Iraq I, Yugoslavia-Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq II, Libya and Syria, Pyongyang understands the paradigm Washington imperialists are intent on carrying out no matter what the cost. The militarists and Zio madmen running the show in Washington are currently putting the world on the brink of nuclear war. No matter, they will carry out capitalist imperial dictates until their last breath.
Kim Jong Un fully understands that the only way to possibly stave off a violent and bloody attack from the Western militarists is to demonstrate that a state has thermo nuclear weapons capability. Only then will the greedheads and moneybags of Washington even consider backing off.
Although 95% of them don’t even realize it, the people of the world are paying dearly for the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Washington-New York capitalists and Zionists have really taken the gloves off. No longer is there a competing socio-economic state to act as a bulwark of sorts and to demonstrate a relatively decent social welfare state.
Kim Jong Un is cognizant of the fact that he’s virtually all alone running an independent state that could easily be bombed, occupied, and obliterated by Western militarists, ergo he fully understands he has to demonstrate he’s capable of acting the madman, not unlike Israeli objectives for decades. Act like a madman so they leave one alone, in the former case it’s a matter of survival, in the latter case it’s a cynical ploy to run an apartheid regime hell bent on ethnic cleansing every 6 to 7 years.
Thank you for an excellent summary of North Korea’s situation vis-à-vis the would be world hegemon the USA. The world bully will not leave anyone in peace until it has terrorized and subjugated everyone, including it’s own population. The evil people behind this know no limits. Their grandiose egos can brook no competition. They will destroy everything true and beautiful and loving without a second’s pause. These higher values mean absolutely nothing to them. Any mention of these values by them is simply a ploy to serve their lust for absolute power. It is the essence of tragedy that these people have played a major role in the history of our species. Unless we can deter or eliminate them, our human story on Earth is at an end very soon.
Over at the Saker’s site Scott Humor has published a piece, titled “US bill HR1644 to kill Russian food export and Chinese trade,” on how North Korea has been purposefully cultivated by the American Deep State to use as a cudgel against Russia and China. The purported danger from “terrorist state” North Korea is basically all hype so that certain legal declarations of threat and sanctions against Russia, Iran and China might be put in place.
In effect, this bill, soon to be signed by President Trump is a de-facto declaration of war against both those countries. It gives the American military the right to blockade and inspect all Russian, Iranian, Syrian and Chinese ports for mere suspicion of trade with North Korea. It claims the right to stop and search ships on the high seas. It claims the right to seize both military and civilian ships, aircraft and any other form of conveyance from these countries that may have entered North Korean territory over the PAST 365 (making it an ex post facto “law”). Failure of Russia, China and Iran to cooperate with the dictates will allow the imposition of onerous trade sanctions on these countries and seizure of their property and accounts within the United States.
It is basically a declaration of war that, according to the author, was not dreamed up since the current Korean crisis unfolded, nor since Trump ascended to the the presidency, but has been in the works for at least a year. So, it was originated under Obama and intended to be implemented under Clinton. The fact that it has appeared so quickly in such a finely polished form indicates that, like the Patriot Act, it was a product not of the elected politicos, but of the Deep State that truly runs this country and wants to run the entire world. It was a piece of work created and kept on the shelf until the appropriate false flag crisis could be precipitated. It is a complete violation of the national sovereignty of the targeted countries.
It has not been sanctioned or approved by the UN, which is now flagrantly bypassed by the United States, except to use as a forum by Susan Rice, Samantha Power and Nikki Haley to harangue the countries that America wishes to attack. Combine the Tomahawk launch against Syria with this outrage and I see nothing short of a de facto declaration of World War III by the United States against anyone who refuses to obey its dictates. No way the Russian or Chinese governments can allow this to stand and survive the opprobium of their own people.
Btw, the vote in the House was 419-1 in favor of war, including Tulsi Gabbard. Either everyone, including her, is incredibly stupid or those votes are fixed, with the congress critters doing exactly as they are told by their Deep State minders.
“The deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee for Defense and Security, Frants Klintsevich, said that the possibility of external control over Russian sea ports was out of the question, but the mere fact that US lawmakers were discussing the proposal was definitely a hostile act…
What immediately draws attention is the list of nations where US congressmen want to have special control over sea ports,” he said. “These are Russia, China, Iran and Syria. The United States is again trying to expand its jurisdiction all over the globe. It is as if they were telling Russia, China, Iran and Syria that these nations are suspects in crime, which is nonsense, according to international law.
Another deputy head of the same committee, Andrey Krasov, said that the US bill will face an appropriate response from Russia, should it be passed.
The US administration will receive a symmetrical adequate response to any unfriendly steps toward Russia and our allies. In any case, no US ship will enter our waters,” Krasov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.”
who is the One?
Why so many “enemies” of the United States? Apparently, the figures behind the scenes who run this madhouse think it’s their world, and everyone else just lives in it, so they get to call the shots and if you don’t like it you can lump it. In their mind, no other country is entitled to autonomy, even if they want a practically isolated existence like the “Hermit Kingdom” of North Korea. Certainly small countries like Cuba that would go out and influence the world by doing good works, such as medical and relief assistance, must be beaten down if they have no permission from Washington.
It is thoroughly stupifying, but the maniacs who squander our tax dollars actually think they have a right to take down Russia and China with nuclear first strikes because they will not kowtow and submit to annexation by the Empire. Analysts have said that’s what the encirclement of these two countries with American military bases and nuclear-capable missile batteries ( http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/05/05/sauron-rules-washington/ ) and the development of the new “super fuze” nuclear missile technology that will hit their targets within 5 MINUTES of launch leaving those countries with no capacity whatsoever for a retaliatory second strike ( http://www.unz.com/article/americas-top-scientists-confirm-u-s-goal-now-is-to-conquer-russia/ ) is all about.
Once the technology, which Obama approved and dedicated one trillion dollars towards, is deployed expect Washington to make its move. The creatures in control certainly want this accomplished before mid-century when multiple economic, environmental, population, resource and societal crises are projected to converge, and they seem not to care that “winning” such a war ensures the annihilation of any life forms living on the surface of the planet for a very prolonged period and maybe forever. Maybe they believe that none of this is real, that the material world is just a simulation, like a video game, and will simply be reset after they “win” the game. Or, maybe they are bigger religious fanatics than the Islamic jihadists and hope to usher in the second coming by precipitating Armageddon. They are certainly not sane.
So, what choice is left to the rest of the world, when resistance truly does become futile? Submit all sovereignty to the maniacs to preserve our species and life itself on the planet? Or, die fighting to extirpate the evil though it means the end of all that is good as well? The planet needs to unite, Europe and the rest of the developed world need to cast aside their bondage to the evil that America has become and confront it together before it reaches the end stage. America must be stripped of its bases and the technology of instant death it is developing must be brought to a halt. North Korea and Iran are far from the real problem, they are simply contrivances for expanded American aggression, and an intelligent world would know this. A courageous world would do something about it.
Still of interest is Gore Vidal’s book written after 9/11 in answer to the frequent question, “Why do they hate us?” “Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace: How We Got to be So Hated.”
People need to realize that authoritarian attitudes practiced by the American establishment since the days of slavery that have continued to this day in different forms do not inspire affection but the opposite.
Yes Bill. That is necessary reading, and I always carried it with me around the country. But I did find there were not too many people open to reading it, along with Vidal book Dreaming War: Blood for oil…..
To even see how many named wars have taken place since WW2 by the US was a bit more than most people wanted to digest. Those two books are a good way to become an instant pariah in most communities. Too much truth within, apparently, for most people to handle.
Randy Newman “political science”
1972:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NRbI15ufqM
more recent in London:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_LDeUEiWY
Randy Newman “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0EAwSpTcM4
Bhutan has …. only diplomatic relations to India?
Truly speaking, Bhutan has diplomatic relations with more than 50 countries, among these 16 in Europe and with the European Union. It has diplomatic relations with Canada since 2003 and with Japan as well.
Thanks for your comment, Tobjörn, because it piqued my curiosity and led me to this fascinating wiki article on Bhutan:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutan
Yes, according to this article Bhutan has formal diplomatic relations with many countries including Canada (but not any of the 5 permanent members of the Security Council of the U.N.).
However, as Ann Wright suggests, it has very close, complex and evolving ties to india that go way beyond formal diplomatic associations.
according to the wiki article:
“Bhutan maintains strong economic, strategic, and military relations with neighbouring India.[62][63] In 2007, Bhutan and India revised their friendship treaty which clarified Bhutan’s full control of its foreign relations, including its border with Tibet. Bhutan has very warm relations with Japan, which provides significant development assistance. The Bhutanese royals were hosted by the Japanese imperial family during a state visit in 2011. Japan is also helping Bhutan cope with glacial floods through developing an early warning system.”
……..
“Bhutan is also notable for pioneering the concept of gross national happiness.”
GOOD FOR THEM!
The complexity of the historical threads of this small and incredibly beautiful country should give each of us pause when we hear Washington’s shallow, sound bite proclamations of who’s on the “friends” list and and who’s our “enemy”.
As Ann Wright explains, what we hear is usually a fiction because it ignores our (U.S.’s) past role in the creation of most of our friction with our “enemies”. We just can’t stand it if a country refuses to take marching orders from our banks, the IMF, and the rest of the “cognoscenti”. We always know best…..and then we always apologize for the “unintended consequences” of our actions using the phrase “hindsight is 20/20”…..
hoo boy…
Unfortunately Trump has proved himself to be an unpopular and weak president who is currently incapable of dealing constructively with nations thought to be “enemies.” So his making a deal with Russia, Iran, Syria, or North Korea is a moot question at this point. Whether he would have the wisdom to mend these fences if he did have the support to do so is also highly questionable. In the meantime he is choosing to talk tough, perhaps in hope of bolstering his sagging ratings. A dangerous choice for all of us.
“U.S. leaders have to contemplate the potential destruction of South Korea and much of Japan if the U.S. launches a new war against the North.”
Do you seriously think anybody in today’s psychopathic Washington cares if SK and Japan are wiped out? They would then have an excuse to re-flatten NK and just “accidentally” take out the 150,000 Chinese troops that have recently been moved to the border with NK (http://www.smh.com.au/world/north-korea-tensions-reports-of-chinese-troops-on-border-20170411-gviljw.html). The resulting radiation storm would depopulate much of South-East Asia (depending on how the wind blows) and the mini nuclear Winter would knock down temperatures for a while so that oil could make a comeback.
I know that sounds like a madman’s scenario — and it is! But you can be sure there are precisely such contingency plans in place, reminiscent of Ronald Reagan’s “Limited Nuclear War” strategy.
No nuclear war can remain limited.
I know that sounds like a madman’s scenario — and it is!
There is also the fact that we have an abundance of warmongers in the ruling establishment who could rightly be suspected of being mad.
No nuclear war can remain limited.
That nuclear war is contemplated by our establishment is absolutely bizarre. First of all, unintended consequences automatically follow the opening of hostilities. The next step would then be to release a bevy of nuclear-tipped missiles that would make, at least, a large part of the planet uninhabitable.
If sanity prevailed in our war department the decision makers would realize a nuclear war is the ultimate in insanity, and storing hundreds of nuclear weapons is idiotic.
“Another rarely discussed consequence of nuclear war is high altitude electromagnetic pulse, or EMP. A large nuclear weapon detonated at high altitude (100-200 miles high) will produce an enormous pulse of electrical energy, which will destroy electronic circuits in an area of tens of thousands of square miles below the blast. A single detonation over the US East Coast would destroy the grid and cause every nuclear power plant affected by EMP to melt down. Imagine 60 Fukushimas happening at the same time in the US.”
An example of “unintended consequences.” Excerpted from:
http://www.greanvillepost.com/2017/04/15/experts-in-a-nuclear-war-between-the-us-and-russia-everybody-in-the-world-would-die/
O upheld a nuclear first strike policy.
Mike, puppets don’t do anything by themselves. Trump is now owned by the the military complex and the so called ‘deep state’ and he dances to their tunes.
The Establishment feeds off having “Enemies.” We are tax slaves that pay for their corruption and endless wars. This could be called:
“The Open Criminality of the Establishment and its Political Puppets”
[More info at link below]
http://graysinfo.blogspot.ca/2017/05/the-open-criminality-of-establishment.html
The tyrant must create foreign enemies to pose falsely as protector and accuse his moral superiors of disloyalty, as Aristotle warned.
The tyrant in business, politics, mass media, and the military exploits the power of his lack of ethics and lack of concern with truth, rejecting the ethical as “losers.” His belief system is power=money=virtue no matter how he gets it. His lifelong study is of that which is persuasive and effective, rather than that which is rational and just. The lowest scoundrel can do that, while his moral superiors educate others to avoid that.
The enabler of the tyrant’s corruption is unregulated economic concentrations, which have seized power because the Constitutional Convention did not protect democratic institutions from economic powers that did not then exist, and the emerging middle class did not do so because they were preoccupied with their escape from poverty.
America’s only enemy is the internal corruption of the Tyrant. Jefferson warned that “the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants” in every generation, for this is the only language of the tyrant. This is long overdue, and will not be pretty. We can be slaves or we can rebel; there is life’s option today.
Sam F
If citizens attempt to reform US institutes of governance by force through use of arms, that tree will be watered with the blood of rebels.
The MIC’s grip on US politics can only be loosed by massive peaceful non-compliance of US service people. For example, US pilots and drone operators refuse to bomb Syria. Police refuse to remove protesters, but it has to include both the sheeple, and the sheeple dog locking arms and demanding a Fair Electoral Field.
Yes, perhaps the refusal of police and national guard to enforce against riots, to protect gated communities from organized attacks, or to protect government facilities. Perhaps something like the collapse of the USSR, after something like the widespread riots that terrified the rich into passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This would presuppose economic collapse and widespread anger at political and economic corruption.
While I cannot advocate such things as others do, it probably is necessary to bring fear to the tyrant to restore democracy without arms. Perhaps extended economic collapse precedes sufficient organization within the services to refuse to protect oligarchy; otherwise those in the services would be at similar risk.
Successful revolutions most often occur when a critical mass of citizens reach a critical level of economic despair and state security forces stand down.
Wow great post Many thx
power=money=virtue:
Re:”Virtue” I think virtue was the major missing piece of my puzzle, I kinda understand Power (from an intp perspective lol), Money (of all three this is the one I have more knowledge on than the others), Virtue = I was missing this,it reminds me of a Samantha Power talk (here->https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQae1vpe6Wg) she truly believes she’s correct in her cause it’s a faith, a religion for her.
One thought I had while writing this is that with-out the Virtue aspect of the equation an incorrect assumption can be made of trying to understand the equation with just Power + Money, the result being that it’s some kind of ‘Satanic’ belief, however like I said before add in the Virtue aspect and these ‘Tyrants’ really believe they are doing the right thing and are the ‘Good’ of the world.
That may be worse than them just being satanic!!!
(Unless of course I’m totally wrong and have just made all this up in 1.618 seconds of day dreaming.)
The belief that virtue can be equated with money and power is adopted and socially enforced as a shared personal convenience rather than a rational deduction or moral imperative. This is done to disable any moral or ethical teachings or qualms surviving from youth.
A veneer of rationality is applied to make it plausible. For them, power=virtue because the patriotic symbolism and official trappings of the public offices they abuse suggest that they Must have expertise and the national values and public purposes behind them, even though they are deliberately abusing their offices to the extent possible for personal gain at the expense of the people. For them, money=virtue because (in middle class occupations only) wealth is seldom gained without the virtue of industry and planning, even though it is most easily gained by those who are purely selfish, avoid all ethics, and focus primarily upon methods of lying, cheating and stealing.
This equation of virtue with money and power is readily observed wherever businessmen, Republicans, and their hangers-on, dependents, opportunists, and emulators congregate. Their expressed belief in the virtue of an individual is exactly proportional to perceived money or power, and the loss of fortune or public office results in an immediate downgrading of the individual in what the group accepts as virtue. They profess past public or private office as their virtues, boast of wealth or its pretenses, purchase or boast of cars and homes that proclaim wealth, all as the sum of their virtues and basis of group acceptance. Any mention of actual virtue in public duty, advancement of public interest, or personal charity are regarded as deficiencies to be tolerated as long as it takes to exclude such persons from their group.
Most of the “believers” in money=power=virtue do not have money or power, but are merely making approaches to those who do, in hope of getting money. Most of the ones they approach in hope of getting money do not have any, but are mere pretenders. They have to get into the inner circles to get anywhere via connections or deals, and there they find the exhilaration of success, always by feudal appointments, services, and deals that sacrifice the public and corporate interest to the private gain of tyrants and scoundrels.
Anne Wright is living in a dream world if she thinks the Americans are even slightest bit interested is talking or any kind of negotiation! Trump said before he became president and just after he was made president that he wanted a better understanding with the Russians. However, as we all know, he’s been been brought to heel and does exactly what the Military powers demand of him. If he hadn’t, he would have been murdered by now.