Stephen Lendman

Instead of engaging North Korea responsibly, ending decades of hostility, Trump intends confrontation - how yet to unfold.

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group was ordered to position itself off North Korea’s coast, a show of force, a hostile act.

A spokesman for Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry said America’s action “goes to prove (its) reckless moves for invading the DPRK have reached a serious phase.”

Its military “is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the US. We will take the toughest counteraction against the provocateurs in order to defend ourselves by powerful force of arms.”

“We will hold the US wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions.”

On Sunday, US National Security Advisor McMaster said Korean peninsula denuclearization “must happen. The president has asked…for a full range of options to remove that threat.”

Trump administration hostility toward Syria and North Korea risks potentially catastrophic war on two fronts, including possible use of nuclear weapons.

On Tuesday, the UK Mirror headlined “Trump orders military advisors to prepare plans to hit North Korea,” saying:

“It is believed that among (possible) options are combined special forces raids and pre-emptive missile strikes.”

China reportedly mobilized 150,000 troops along North Korea’s border in case Washington launches attacks.

Pyongyang’s leadership denounced Trump’s aggression on Syria last week, saying it justifies its nuclear deterrent, given the threat America poses.

Ahead of Tillerson’s arrival in Moscow, Putin said “(w)e have reports from multiple sources that false flags like (the Kahn Shiekhoun CW incident) are being prepared in other parts of Syria, including the southern suburbs of Damascus. They plan to plant some chemical there and accuse the Syrian government of an attack.”

What’s happening in Syria is reminiscent of events preceding Bush/Cheney’s devastating 2003 Iraq war, Putin explained.

Is something similar being planned to justify attacking North Korea? It’s unclear what’s precisely coming, but Trump’s aggressive so far is great cause for great concern about what he plans next.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at http://www.sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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