President Donald Trump is only just beginning to figure out what a complex and thorny task dealing with North Korea is, according to a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal. It took a conversation with Chinese president Xi Jinping for Trump to come to the conclusion that “it’s not so easy.”
The United States have been at odds with North Korea since the U.S. supported the South in the Korean War, and the North has been working towards nuclear capabilities for decades. And yet, Trump believed that he had the know-how to finally solve the problem. Until, of course, he got a ten-minute crash course in regional politics from the Chinese president. “I felt pretty strongly that [China] had a tremendous power [over] North Korea. But it’s not what you would think,” Trump told the Journal. “The magnitude of everything is so big, and also the decisions are so big. You know, you’re talking about life and death.”
While it’s slightly heartening that he’s beginning to figure this out, Trump’s revelation is still extremely concerning. Up until this conversation with Xi Jinping, our president clearly believed that he could simply push around other countries until they fell in line with his plans. It also demonstrates that Trump hadn’t been briefed on North Korea by any regional experts—or hadn’t bothered to pay attention when he was.
Trump’s tough talk on North Korea has inflamed tensions even further. He recently sent the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to the region and has made more than one statement that has sent the South Korean government scurrying to reassure its citizens that the United States will definitely not take any pre-emptive action without consulting them first. “The United States makes it clear that it will not take a new policy or measure without consultations with us,” Cho June-hyuck, a spokesman for the South Korean Foreign Ministry said. But Trump’s decision to fire missiles at a Syrian air base last week has only fueled fears that he might take ill-advised action.
North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2017
We can only hope that Trump’s recent eye-opening conversation means that he might take some time to learn about long-standing conflicts before wading into them. Maybe.