Four crucial words from Mike Pence have put the US in a tough position against North Korea
AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
But President Donald Trump's administration has repeated this message time and time again.
The most important four words Pence has said on his Asia trip so far were in response to a key question: Will the US talk to North Korea?
Pence has repeated nearly verbatim statements from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on the US's strategic patience ending with North Korea, and other military threats by other Trump officials.
But his words aboard the Reagan about an "overwhelming and effective" response to any use of conventional or nuclear weapons by North Korea rang hollow.
The US Navy has told Business Insider that the forward-based Reagan will be tied up with refittings and training exercises for months. In a perplexing mix-up, the USS Carl Vinson, which the US Navy first announced would head to North Korea on April 8, was photographed 3,500 miles away in Indonesia on April 15.
Speaking of the carrier mix up, South Korea's conservative candidate for its May election, Hong Joon-pyo, said, "What Mr. Trump said was very important for the national security of South Korea. If that was a lie, then during Trump's term, South Korea will not trust whatever Trump says," as the Wall Street Journal notes.
Indeed on both the North Korean and US side of the conflict, all talk of military action can likely be dismissed as bluster.
"Nuclear thunderbolts" and "all out war" have been promised by North Korea, but any conflict between the US and the Kim regime would be incredibly bloody, likely resulting in the near complete destruction of North Korea, unacceptable civilian losses in South Korea and possibly Japan, and US military bases in the region devastated by missile and artillery fire.
None of the dozen or so North Korea experts contacted by Business Insider rate large-scale military action against the regime as credible. China must know this. North Korea, on some level, must know this.
North Korea has repeatedly offered to scale back its nuclear program if the US stops its annual military drills with South Korea, which the US has dismissed, saying that planned, regularly occurring military exercises that have gone on for 40 years without leading to war can't be equated to a state that often threatens to nuke its neighbors.
Reuters/KCNA
Trump brought two new ideas to the North Korean stalemate: threaten military force and leverage the US's trade relationship with China to force their hand against the Kim regime.
But military force won't work and there's just not much China can do.
In light of military and economic measures failing, diplomatic engagement looks like only option left, but Pence made the US's stance on this clear: "Not at this time."
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- An Ambani disruption in OTT: At just ₹1 per day, you can now enjoy ad-free content on JioCinema
- In second consecutive week of decline, forex kitty drops $2.28 bn to $640.33 bn
- SBI Life Q4 profit rises 4% to ₹811 crore
- IMD predicts severe heatwave conditions over East, South Peninsular India for next five days
- COVID lockdown-related school disruptions will continue to worsen students’ exam results into the 2030s: study
- India legend Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 ambassador
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market