Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Trump prepares to unveil sweeping new US tariffs on 'Liberation Day'    At least 22 civilians killed in Israeli strike on UNRWA clinic in Gaza    UK says it won't jump into US trade war as Starmer urges calm response to tariffs    Russia, Ukraine trade fresh accusations of violating US-brokered energy ceasefire deal    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



North Korea: Options before US
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 13 - 02 - 2017

DURING the first presidential debate, Donald Trump suggested that China should invade North Korea. But in June, he said that he would be fine with hosting North Korean President Kim Jong Un for a visit.
When Kim said in a televised New Year message that North Korea was close to testing long-range missiles capable of striking America, the president-elect said: "It won't happen."
Was Trump dismissing Kim's claims as just an empty talk or did he mean he would try to stop it at any cost?
Things became a bit clearer during Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' visit to South Korea. Any use of nuclear weapons by the North on the US or its allies would be met with an "effective and overwhelming" response, he said in Seoul on Feb. 3.
America would respond only if the North launched a nuclear attack on US or its allies. Kim may be unhinged but he is not crazy. He knows that any such attack would lead to American retaliation and obliteration of his country. He also knows that it is the possession of nukes that has helped his country avoid the fate of Iraq.
So things have gone on predictable lines. North Korea conducts another nuclear test and UN passes resolutions to slap sanctions on Pyongyang. Under the Agreed Framework signed during Bill Clinton's presidency in 1994, Pyongyang promised to shelve its pursuit of a nuclear weapon in return for energy assistance from the United States, Japan and South Korea. But the deal collapsed when Clinton's successor, George W. Bush, confronted the North about its secret effort to enrich uranium in pursuit of the bomb.
North Korea has so far conducted a total of five nuclear tests – in 2006, 2009, 2013 and twice in 2016. The second in 2016 was on Sept. 9. Since the collapse of the deal, the US has been hoping to coax Kim back to the negotiating table — a stance the Obama administration dubbed "strategic patience" — just as Kim has been accelerating North Korea's production of weapons-grade plutonium as well as its ballistic missile capabilities. Whenever a US administration's patience wears thin, it approaches the UN Security Council for punitive sanctions to be imposed on North Korea. Here there are two problems. One, North Korea does not have much of a trade with outside world except China. Roughly 70 percent of North Korea's total trade is with China which also happens to be its main supplier of energy and food. Second, a regime that warns its people that they may be eating grass to survive isn't likely to lose its sleep over further economic sanctions. Only China can make or break the North Korean economy.
But Beijing is unlikely to follow up with strong action because a collapse of North Korea is not in its interest. It blames Washington and Seoul for growing tensions in the region. China is already upset with US interference in the disputed South China Sea. Complicating the situation is the US decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in the South to counter missile and nuclear threats from North Korea. Beijing views it as a threat to its own security though it is disguised as an attempt to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table on its nuclear program. The best way, according to China, to get Pyongyang to halt its nuclear program would be for the US to give North Korea a guarantee it won't unseat the government.
That would not be enough. The North Koreans have long demanded one-on-one talks with the US. They seek to be recognized by the US and the West as a nuclear power as was the case with India and Pakistan. The real question is whether Trump is prepared for a new approach. "What the hell is wrong with speaking?" as the candidate Trump asked on the campaign trail in June.


Clic here to read the story from its source.