Putin warns that Russia could use nuclear weapons

North Korea launches 'simulated nuclear strike' | DW News

North Korea has conducted what it calls a "simulated nuclear strike," launching two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. North Korean state media said the launch was part of a drill aimed at preparing the country for a war with South Korea. The launch comes just a day before the US and South Korea wrap up their annual military exercises in the region. Pyongyang routinely criticises these drills as preparation for an invasion from the South.

No body wants to invade North Korea. They all want to flee expect for those at the top.

As for starting a war? That would be the end of Kim and his families dictatorship. 

 

Is the US leading a new nuclear arms race?

 

The US speaks of non-proliferation but is spending billions to upgrade its nuclear arsenal.

One nuclear bomb can wipe out almost half a million people, yet the United States and Russia have thousands of these weapons. And seven other countries have created atomic bombs as well.

There is no way to reverse time and get rid of these weapons, and countries will spend billions to maintain and upgrade their arsenals, but to what end?

Steve Clemons talks about US nuclear strategy with former Congressman John Tierney, the executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest.

North Korea - All the dictator's men

North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world, but its leader Kim Jong Un has still found the money he needs to finance a nuclear weapons program, despite the country's fundamental poverty and international economic sanctions. This documentary looks at how, and introduces the men who have helped Kim Jong Un keep his dreams of reaching nuclear power status alive. North Korea has not reined in its nuclear program, despite a number of UN resolutions that have tried to force it to do so.

Trump Bragged We Could Stop Worrying About Nuclear War (video)

When the U.S. first discovered that North Korea was creating a nuclear arsenal back in the mid-1990's.  Various means and methods have been sought to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Nothing's worked because its leaders see nuclear weapons as a key to the regimes survival.  Then there its stated foreign policy goals:  End the U.S. South Korea mutual defense treaty, removal of all U.S. military personnel, end all joint training exercises and its most coveted goal diplomatic  recognition by the U.S.   Under Donald Trump several of those goals have been achieved.  The end of joint military training and most importantly recognition of its government by America.  It achieved these because Donald Trump being a complete narcissist and lacking self confidence decided that Kim-Jong un was a "wonderful" person because he was very complementary.  Of course little Donnie's North Korea policy has been a complete failure.         

North Korea - All the dictator's men | DW Documentary

This documentary looks at how, and introduces the men who have helped Kim Jong Un keep his dreams of reaching nuclear power status alive. North Korea has not reined in its nuclear program, despite a number of UN resolutions that have tried to force it to do so. So how has the isolated country kept the program going despite sanctions? Every year Pyongyang sends millions of North Korean workers abroad, selling their services to over 40 countries around the world. And their salaries flow directly into Kim’s treasury. The only ones who know exactly how the system works are the men who have helped the North Korean government carry through the program for years. A film team spent years researching these men and their secrets - from bankers and diplomats to the laborers and specialists who worked abroad and whose wages flowed into the regime's coffers. Come and meet all the dictator’s men.

Donald Trump Asked Shinzo Abe Nominate Him For The Nobel Peace Prize: Asahi Shinbun

For all the derision, hate and attempts to erase the Presidency of Barrack Obama by Donald Trump and his army of Mini Me's. Isn't it interesting that he, Donald Trump seeks the same recognition and acceptance of world leaders, major international organizations and decision makers that was afforded President Obama.   So, the worlds most powerful political leader, a person so needed and insecure that he requires his staff to provide him with aa daily round-up of news which portrays him in the most positive manner sought out and asked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize for his supposed diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea over the dismantling of its nuclear arsenal.  Even though no such agreement exists. 

   Acceding to a request from Washington, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize around autumn for engaging with North Korea, Japanese government sources said Feb. 16.

According to the sources, the U.S. government "informally" asked Tokyo to nominate Trump after he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June, the first-ever summit between the two countries.

At a news conference in the White House on Feb. 15, Trump revealed that Abe gave him a copy of a five-page letter the prime minister sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prize.

The deadline for nominating candidates for the prize is February every year. College professors and members of the parliament in each country, as well as former Nobel laureates, are eligible to recommend candidates.

Donald Trump And His Non Agreement With Kim-Jong un

Donald Trump flew off to Singapore believing as only he can that he his fantastic personality and the Art of the Deal book (Not written by him.) would end in a loving embrace from Kim-Jong un and North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons. Somewhere along the way the fool failed to realize that his in artful attempts at diplomacy would lead to long and difficult negotiations.  North Korea isn't, won't ever surrender  its nuclear arsenal.  Those weapons the key to that regimes survival.

Now the Orange Froot Loop is blaming China for his inadequacies as a leader as those talks have stalled.  Negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear arsenal was never going to easy its just that Donald Trump was just to stupid to know it.

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at China for undermining its work with North Korea, as criticism over progress on denuclearisation mounts.

In a series of tweets he also said he saw no reason to resume the joint war games with South Korea that have angered North Korea.

Days ago his own defence secretary said military exercises might continue.

China has accused Mr Trump of "shifting blame" in his comments on its relations with North Korea.

A summit between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June ended with a pledge from the North to work towards "the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". Soon after Mr Trump announced there was "no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea".

Foolish Trump Tweet-Begs North Korea To 'Honor Our Handshake' (video)

Everyone with any experience with North Korea predicted this would happen. Trump got played by Kim Jong-un. Tired of winning yet, Donald?

Because Donald Trump thinks tweets can do things like lower oil prices and renegotiate trade deals, he tweet-begged Kim Jong-un to "honor the contract, and more importantly, the handshake" about nukes.

Andrea Mitchell used the "we" word. It's not we, Andrea. Trump got played. From Monday's "The 11th Hour":

BRIAN WILLIAMS: The only way to start on North Korea is in simple English and that is, did we get played?

ANDREA MITCHELL: We sure did get played. And Pompeo with the best of intentions to try to flush out what in fact was agreed to in Singapore, if anything, he got snubbed. Sarah Sanders said he would be meeting with Kim Jong-un. He was not. That meeting was never in the cards. And, in fact, he spent two days going through endless long, multicourse dinners, lavish, which he didn't have an appetite for and they didn't get to the substance. They never got to the meat as to what really was agreed to in Singapore. And that's the problem. The president referring to a contract? What they signed were promises, empty promises, in fact. When he said in the tweet today that he relied more -- put more importance on the handshake with Kim Jong-un, why on earth would he be trusting a handshake from someone who is from a regime that has a history of family history of having cheated and lied to the United States and to other allies to their own neighbors in the past?

WILLIAMS: General, meantime this has become a standard line now in the president's rallies, talking about how much safer we are. That there are no longer missiles in the skies over the Pacific. Question to you is, are we any closer to denuclearization and remind me again what North Korea's motive is in agreeing to denuclearization.

↓ Story continues below ↓

GENERAL BARRY MCCAFFREY: You know, Andrea Mitchell pretty much summed it up. I have a great deal of empathy for Secretary Pompeo and jim Mattis, and the CIA director. They've got to remain objective. I've been dealing with the issue since I was a JCS strategic planner during the Clinton administration. The only difference between then and now is they have 60 nuclear weapons, maybe, and some ICBM capability to strike the United States.

They have no intention of denuclearizing.

So the Secretary of State has got to somehow maintain a dialogue lower the tension, keep our allies close to us. South Korea and Japan are concerned. Try to keep the Chinese supportive of the economic embargo and stop raising the nonsense expectations. You know, the president saying he's an honorable man revered by his people that, is not translating in North Korea. This guy is a monster. Murdered hundreds of his own thousands of his citizens. So we're in a very strange and concerning place right now.

Apparently Trump is still waiting for his Nobel Peace Prize and big ass military parade, though, amirite?

The Kim dynasty | DW Documentary

What will happen at the Singapore summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump on June 12? Will the dispute over nuclear weapons escalate? Our report shows the complexity of the situation that has been dominating headlines. Some attribute the recent chain of events to the long-term stability of North Korea's ruling dynasty. North Korea has consistently refused to give up the nuclear program that it has been pursuing since 1962. Washington has been equally consistent in changing its policies toward Pyongyang. And what will become of the US commitment to protect South Korea and Japan? Our report outlines the history of North Korea's nuclear program -- and also explains how the US has helped to enhance Pyongyang's strategic position. Every recent U.S. administration -- from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump -- has changed the country's policy toward North Korea. American presidents come and go, but the Kim dynasty remains in place.

The Reality T.V. Host Who Believes He's Diplomat Goes To Singapore

Tomorrow Donald Trump will become the first Oval Office occupant to meet directly with the leader of North Korea.  He and Kim-Jong un will sit down and begin the process of reaching an equitable agreement between the two countries.  Donald Trump and Kim-Jong un will hold a private meeting without aids or advisers.  Given Trump's penchant for agreeing to a deal, announcing said deal followed by reigning on the agreement reached the question must be asked. How will North Korea react when he does just that? 

Negotiations such as these are fraught with potential misunderstanding and disagreement over just what is meant by a certain phrase or clause.  These types of agreements take years to hammer out not days. The Good Friday Agreement is a perfect example. It took years of difficult negotiation before that treaty was agreed to.  Donald Trump believes it will be a matter of hours or perhaps days. Given his short to nonresistant attention span how long will it take before he starts lashing out on twitter and reverting to calling Kim-Jong un little rocket man?

Donald Trump shouldn't be allowed to negotiate on the nation state level as he's wholly incapable of understanding the situation nor does he care to learn.  He'll be remembered for behaving like George W. Bush, when after meeting Vladimir Putin announced that after  looking into his eyes he knew he'd met a willing partner searching for solutions to the worlds problems. How wrong he was. 

Trump 'ready to meet North Korea's Kim Jong-un'

US President Donald Trump is ready to meet North Korea's Kim Jong-un to talk about denuclearisation, officials say.

South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, speaking at the White House, said Mr Trump would meet Mr Kim by May.

It came after a South Korean delegation held unprecedented talks with Mr Kim earlier this week.

Ties between the two Koreas have improved since their joint participation in the Winter Olympics.

Donald Trump will not meet with Kim-Jong Un as this announcement is merely a distraction.  Donald Trump who knows absolutely nothing about foreign policy, let lone anything about North Korea and the policies that worked in the past. I.E. the Agreed Framework.  

Trump just put North Korea back on the state sponsor of terrorism list

Donald Trump announced that he'll return North Korea to the terrorist sponsorship list joining countries like Sudan and Iran.   North Korea was first placed on the watch list in 1988 following the bombing of a Korean Air 747.  The Bush administration removed North Korea from the list in 2008 in an effort to further negotiations on reducing North Korea's nuclear weapons program.  His argument for doing this involves the killing of  Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia. 

 Administration officials also discussed the possibility of calling the brutal death of Otto Warmbier — the 23-year-old US citizen released by North Korea this summer who returned home in a coma — an act of terrorism. However, there was no agreement as to whether or not his death, as horrible as it was, constituted terrorism, the Washington Post reports.

North Korea was on the state sponsor of terror list before. President George W. Bush included the country in his 2002 “Axis of Evil” speech along with Iran and Iraq. But he removed Pyongyang as part of talks designed to get the country to stop its nuclear program. Clearly, that plan didn’t work — North Korea tested a missile capable of hitting most of the US on July 28 — and Trump is, in a way, going back in time.

Kim Jong-un believes that having such weapons will prevent regime change by any means.   

It's not like earlier sanctions from the United Nations, Japan or the U.S. has slowed North Korea's nuclear weapons development which has continued apace.  

Donald Trump Wanted A Tenfold Increase In America's Nuclear Weapons

At the height of the Cold War America had 31, 255 nuclear weapons as of today: There are 4,480.  Donald Trump a man with little understanding of any governmental policy had said during the campaign that he wanted to increase America's nuclear arsenal. At a Pentagon meeting this past July he asked for a tenfold increase in these weapons.  Forgetting for the moment that any increase would violate several treaties which America is a signatory to along several international laws the question remains. What would Donald Trump hope to achieve by doing this?  A return to the Cold War. A nuclear arms race or maybe in his childish dreams a chance to unleash these awful weapons upon the world.

On 31 July 1991 the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) was signed by the United States and the former Soviet Union. The treaty allowed each country maintain a force of 1,600 inter continental ballistic missiles with 6,000 warheads.   The U.S. is also a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty with the world's other nuclear powers.  The treaty was intended to prevent the spread of nuclear arms.

Trump’s comments, the officials said, came in response to a briefing slide he was shown that charted the steady reduction of U.S. nuclear weapons since the late 1960s. Trump indicated he wanted a bigger stockpile, not the bottom position on that downward-sloping curve.

According to the officials present, Trump’s advisers, among them the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, were surprised. Officials briefly explained the legal and practical impediments to a nuclear buildup and how the current military posture is stronger than it was at the height of the build-up. In interviews, they told NBC News that no such expansion is planned.

Donald Trump had no idea that the Unites States had signed agreements which has led to a reaction in its nuclear arsenal.  

“If he were to increase the numbers, the Russians would match him, and the Chinese” would ramp up their nuclear ambitions, Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert and MSNBC contributor, said, referring to the president.

It's difficult to establish or imagine just how uneducated Donald Trump really is. He lacks curiosity and is completely uninterested in learning about the current issues facing the United States. Instead he's worried about his ratings as if he's doing the Apprentice.  

Donald Trump Goes To The UN And Gives North Korea The Green Light To Keep Building Nukes

Well, Donald Trump has devolved into or perhaps evolved into a cartoon image of an evil leader hell bent on world domination.  The only thing missing was the twisting of the long handlebar mustache.  Jesus who telegraphs their actual intentions to militarily destroy a nation that realistically isn't a threat to other countries or American allies.  North Korea and Kim-Jong un just wants to survive.

Let's say that Donald Trump ordered a military strike on North Korea, what would the consequences be?   North Korea has 14,000 artillery tubes positioned on its border with the South. Which, if fired would strike Seoul within minutes killing how many thousands if not tens of thousands? Those casualties wouldn't be limited to citizens of Korea. Remember there are large numbers  of American expats living in the Seoul metropolitan area.

How did the world get to this point? Let's face it Donald Trump has no real political or personnel  ideology that involves a wider world view.  His ideology is based upon the promotion of Donald Trump.   No, he isn't a monolith as some my suggest given that he's a racist, white supremacist, a nativist  and xenophobic.  

Given that Donald Trump has given North Korea the incentive to continue its nuclear weapons development programme how will Donald Trump deal with the problem.  Through bombastic language and stupidity.   

North Korea Claims Successful Hydrogen Bomb Test

North Korea nuclear test feared after earthquake detected – live

South Korea calls national security meeting after earthquake of magnitude 6.3 detected near a North Korean testing area

Melissa Davey

Sunday 3 September 2017 06.04 BST

This is Nicola Slawson and I’ll be continuing to update you on the latest news from North Korea throughout the morning.

Here’s the full text of the statement from North Korea on its hydrogen bomb test, which Jonathan Cheng of the Wall Street Journal has posted on Twitter: 

View image on Twitter

 Follow

Jonathan Cheng 

✔@JChengWSJ

Full statement from N. Korea on today's nuclear test.

3:48 PM - Sep 3, 2017

Latest test has yield of up to 100 kilotons

South Korean news agency Yonhap News has just filed this report:

North Korea’s apparent sixth nuclear test was estimated to have a yield of up to 100 kilotons, about four to five times stronger than the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, the chief of the parliament’s defence committee said Sunday.

Citing a report from the military authorities, Kim Young-woo said that the explosive power of the apparent nuke tested Sunday appeared to be much stronger than the North’s fifth one estimated to have a yield of 10 kilotons. One kiloton is equivalent to 1,000 tons of TNT.

“(The North’s latest test) is estimated to have a yield of up to 100 kilotons, though it is a provisional report,” Kim of the minor opposition Bareun Party told Yonhap News Agency over the phone. “The test will be a very crucial political and strategic inflexion point.”
Kim also pointed out the need for the Moon Jae-in administration to make a decision over whether to stick to its peace initiative that seeks to re-engage with the belligerent state through both sanctions and dialogue.

Earlier in the day, the South’s weather agency detected a magnitude 5.7 earthquake from the North’s Pyunggye-ri nuclear test site in a sign of another strategic provocation. South Korean intelligence authorities have said that Pyongyang appears ready for another nuke test.

Pyongyang carried out nuke experiments in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2016.

At a doorstop in Sydney, Australia, the deputy Labor leader, Tanya Plibersek, has called conflict on the Korean peninsula “the greatest threat to peace and stability in our region”.

“It is absolutely vital that we continue to see pressure from the international community to support peace and de-escalation of conflict on the Korean peninsula. Right across our region governments have been watching North Korea’s actions with a great deal of concern and trepidation.”

Asked about North Korea’s claim it is capable of fitting a hydrogen bomb to an intercontinental ballistic missile, Plibersek said it was “very difficult to know how much of the North Korean regime’s propaganda is true” and said that reports differed on the likelihood of that claim being true.

“What we know for certain is that the North Korean regime is behaving irresponsibly, aggressively and in a way that threatens peace and security in our region ... [and] that the people most likely to influence with the North Korean regime is China and we continue to urge China to do all it can to urge the North Korean regime to stand down.”

Who's More Likely To Start A War?

Until January  20, 2017 I would have bet money that if any world leader  started a major military conflict Kim-Jong un would have been leading the pack.  Then along comes Donald Trump America's moron in chief presently involved in a pointless and childish verbal altercation with the dictator with the world's worst haircut.  Let's face it North Korea's antagonistic  rhetoric is way over the top, but damn funny.

From KCNA


Timed to coincide with the fabrication of the heinous "sanctions resolution" against the DPRK at the UN, the U.S. war-thirsty forces are engrossed in war hysteria without discretion.


At a time when the U.S. imperialist aggression forces' military actions have entered a dangerous phase, their nuclear strategic bombers frequent the sky above the Korean peninsula. This clearly proves that the U.S. imperialists are nuclear war maniacs keen on stifling the DPRK by nukes.


The KPA Strategic Force is now carefully examining the operational plan for making an enveloping fire at the areas around Guam with medium-to-long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 in order to contain the U.S. major military bases on Guam including the Anderson Air Force Base in which the U.S. strategic bombers, which get on the nerves of the DPRK and threaten and blackmail it through their frequent visits to the sky above south Korea, are stationed and to send a serious warning signal to the U.S. 

The North Korean's regularly issue these bellicose, yet ridiculous offical statements.   


Then there is Donald Trump who, because he's a complete half wit with very thin skin takes these stupid statements personally.  

Now there is this.

Trump warns N Korea that US military is 'locked and loaded'

Is he the  Commander in Chief  or Dirty Harry Callihan?  He'll blunder the Korean peninsula into a war simply because he was insulted by those ridiculous North Korean press releases.   

Trump threatens 'fury' against N Korea

US President Donald Trump says North Korea "will be met with fire and fury" if it threatens the US.

His comments came after a Washington Post report, citing US intelligence officials, said Pyongyang had produced a nuclear warhead small enough to fit inside its missiles.

This would mean the North is developing nuclear weapons capable of striking the US at a much faster rate than expected.

Donald Trump is apparently incapable of dealing with any deviation from his agenda.  Bullying others. Play golf. Rage tweet.  Play golf.  Make everything about himself.  

Is he stupid enough to start a war with North Korea over its nuclear weapons development? Of course. Because he fails to understand what that programme is for the survival of the Kim family and its rule.  In others it's a deterrent.  But Donald Trump the "Two Minute Man" is just supremely stupid enough to think it's all about him. 

Pentagon 'worried Trump was going to declare war on North Korea' during today's tweets about military

The US is concerned about North Korea's nuclear programme

Some officials at the Pentagon were reportedly concerned Donald Trump was set to declare war on North Korea when he started tweeting about his plans for the military.

There were nine long minutes between Mr Trump’s first tweet - announcing he had been consulting with his generals - and the second, in which he said he had decided transgender people could not serve in the military.

Donald Trump is so insecure and lacking in self confidence that it wouldn't surprise anyone if he announced on twitter that the U.S. was about to take military action against North Korea given the world's concern over its nuclear programme.   North Korea's army is massed along the inter Korean border along with a majority of its artillery.  With that in mind Seoul would be devastated and ten's of thousands killed  given its close proximity to the border.   Don't underestimate Trump's ability to do the utterly stupid.

Donald Trump And His North Korea Problem

Bellicosity has always been an integral part of North Korea's foreign policy interactions, especially where the United States are concerned.  They've long sought recognition from America believing it would grant them legitimacy and equality on the world stage.    Kim-Jong un has continued the tradition with the constant stream of incendiary statements and when tensions have reached the breaking point North Korea has arrested American citizens into the hope that concessions which benefit Kim and his government which will insure their continued rule.

Donald Trump in recent weeks has tried to out North Korea and it's ridiculous rhetoric with his own incendiary statements believing they somehow would intimidate Kim-Jong un.  Which was a complete failure.  Particularly  the issue with the Carl Vinson carrier group which Donald Trump claimed was sailing towards the Korean peninsula. But, was found to be heading in the opposite direction towards Australia for planned naval exercises with that country's navy.

The most ridiculous moment came when, after a ten minute dissertation from Chinese Premier Xi Jinping concerning North Korea Donald Trump makes the absurd comment that dealing with Kim-Jong un wouldn't be easy.  Gee you think?  Former President Bill Clinton came the closest to dealing with North Korea and its nuclear programs in the 1990's through the Agreed Framework.

Now that the situation with North Korea has reached a crisis point Donald Trump has summoned all 100 U.S. Senators to the White House for a briefing on the issue.

In an unusual move, the entire US Senate is being called to the White House for a briefing on North Korea.

Washington has become increasingly concerned at North Korean missile and nuclear tests and threats to its neighbours and the US.

The briefing, involving 100 senators as well as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary James Mattis, is being held on Wednesday.

China, North Korea's main ally, has called for restraint from all sides.

China's call came in a phone conversation between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump on Sunday.

Mr Xi urged all parties to "maintain restraint and avoid actions that would increase tensions", according to the Chinese foreign ministry.