Pompeo’s Toughness on North Korea
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
On June 13, Pompeo called for North Korean denuclearization in two-and-a-half years or sooner.
The next day, he repeated the Trump regime’s demand for “complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea,” adding it must be done “quickly.”
Washington won’t agree to sanctions relief until the process is entirely completed, adding Kim and Trump reached other understandings not included not included in the Singapore document.
Summit talks were the beginning of a long process, likely continuing for years with many bumps along the way. Dealing with Washington is never easy under the best of circumstances, especially since bipartisan neocons began running things.
The DPRK surely won’t eliminate its most effective deterrent to feared US aggression without iron-clad security and other guarantees - unlikely to be gotten despite Trump’s assurances otherwise.
He broke virtually all positive inaugural pledges to the US public - like his predecessors, serving privileged interests exclusively at the expense of social justice and peace he disdains.
Pompeo wrongfully blamed the DPRK for failure of earlier denuclearization agreements, fault lying entirely in Washington, not Pyongyang.
Saying mistakes of the past won’t be repeated by withdrawing sanctions before complete nuclearization is a policy for failure, not success.
Kim wants a “phased and synchronous” approach, “action-for-action,” incremental sanctions removed and other positive steps by Washington, matching North Korea’s good will.
Trump tweeting a DPRK nuclear threat no longer exists post-summit talks ignores that it never did before.
Pyongyang wants peace, not war, polar opposite America’s longstanding agenda, waging permanent wars of aggression against invented enemies threatening no one.
Washington threatens everyone everywhere, its hegemonic ambitions risking catastrophic nuclear war - its intolerance of all sovereign independent nations a potential spark to launch it.
Chances for the Trump regime negotiating in good faith with North Korea flies in the face of longstanding US hostility toward the country - for its independence, refusing to be subservient to US interests.
Washington demands it of all nations, outliers targeted for regime change, North Korea no exception.
Smiles, handshakes, and expressions of good will can fade over the short, intermediate and longer-term if Pyongyang fails to agree to US demands.
They’re virtually always one-sided in dealings with independent nations like North Korea, Washington offering nothing in return but empty promises.
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