Well, Trump was hardly alone in believing China had the power to dissuade N. Korea from pursuing a goal of being a Nuclear power....and the big question mark is will China use the leverage it does have to curb N. Korea's nuclear ambitions?
I think China has more power over N. Korea than it is willing to admit thought no doubt the China/N. Korea situation is complex and in to that equation you have to consider China's military leaders and their ambitions.
So...the ball is in China's court unless N. Korea signals a willingness to talk...China could no doubt do more to persuade N. Korea to conduct negotiations and dissuade Trump from conducting a pre-emptive strike on N. Korea...so far they have made some minor decisions to placate Trump...refusing to buy N. Korean Coal and shutting down Air China's service to N. Korea...very minor things.
I think no one wants a war....but that does not mean there will not be one....N. Korea appears intransigent to compromise, China is dragging its feet and not doing anything of much substance so far to help the situation...Trump is talking a tough game...and whilst not altogether a bluff....his talk so far and his sending in forces to the region is being done I think with the idea of provoking serious negotiations with N. Korea.
I do believe and have said the powers that be in Washington have finally come to the realization that a Nuclear N. Korea simply cannot be tolerated and they are willing to take a gamble on a pre-emptive strike.
This very dangerous situation we are now confronted with could have been prevented long ago...but several Presidents refused to solve the problem when it would have been much easier to solve and before China modernized it's military and became a formidable power. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.....tragic.
'A recent
New Yorker cartoon shows the head and elbows of a leonine old man, a real Ancient of Days, appearing wearily through a cloud, addressing a small human with halo and wings, while below the Earth explodes in a profusion of nuclear mushroom clouds. The Ancient comments: “Pretty good. The ending was a bit predictable.”
Has the Earth reached a tipping point, where its very future is in doubt? In the past few weeks, new threats have begun to grow: not merely a slow suffocating end because of destruction of the delicate environment and ecosystems protecting the planet; but potentially fiery political and military conflicts.'
Don’t just blame Trump as world nears a tipping point
