The President of the United States, on Tuesday responded to the threats from the North Korean leader, with the unfortunate phrase, "We will respond with fire and fury". The sentence, never agreed with his "staff", was a spontaneous exit from Trump. Too bad that the American President forgets that every syllable he pronounces can have sensational and difficult to stop ripple effects. Today, senior officials of the Trump administration tried to mitigate the meaning of the sentence which, according to them, would not even cause any increase in military alert.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a statement: "Pyongyang should stop any action that would lead to the" end of its regime and the destruction of its people. " Mattis' words followed after President Donald Trump's incendiary claims, who said yesterday that threats to the United States from Pyongyang would cause a "fire and fury" response. Trump's unexpected remarks prompted North Korea to respond saying it was considering plans for a missile launch over the US Pacific Territory of Guam. Mattis said, in this regard, that the United States and its allies would use any type of weapon in the eventual conflict with North Korea.
"The DPRK must decide to stop isolating itself and abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons," Mattis said, using the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "North Korea should cease any action that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people." Today, for example, there were the first effects on the current crisis. The Asian financial markets recorded negative declines of percentage points, especially for commodities and gold. Investors have moved business, for now, to more stable and safer territories.
Tension in the region has increased since North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year and two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July. Trump immediately said he will not allow Pyongyang to develop a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States.
On Wednesday, Trump uttered the fateful phrase "fire and fury" also to brag and make the international community understand the remarkable US nuclear capabilities.
"My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal, it is now much stronger and more powerful than ever," Trump tweeted. "Hopefully we will never have to use this power, but, never say never ours is the most powerful nation in the world!"
Trump's phrase of "fire and fury" prompted US officials and analysts to advise the President not to fall low on Pyongyang's verbal provocations.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tried to reduce the rhetoric. Before arriving at Trump's tweets about the nuclear arsenal, Tillerson arrived in Guam on a previously scheduled visit after informing reporters that he did not believe there was an imminent threat from North Korea and that "Americans could sleep one night. Quiet".
With his "fire and fury" warning, Trump wanted to "send a strong message to North Korea in the only language Kim Jong Un would understand, because he doesn't seem to understand diplomatic language," Tillerson said. And then North Korea regularly threatens to destroy the United States.
For the time being, senior US military officers have tried to reduce phrases and references to a potential military conflict. Three US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US did not move any additional "assets" to the region following North Korea's threats against Guam.
"As long as it comes to sentences, there is no need to change strategy," an official said. "The only time our position has to rise is when the facts are there, we don't take action on what Kim and Trump say to each other," the official added.
While on Trump's claim that the nuclear arsenal is more powerful than before, US officials have stated that it takes decades to modernize nuclear weapons, a program that has already started within the administration of President Barack Obama and we already operational treaties governing nuclear expansion. Trump signed an executive order after he took office in January to initiate a review of the country's nuclear policy and strategy.
Political reactions to Trump's sentences
A senior US administration official dealing with the Korea issue said the "fire and fury" which was Trump's strongest warning for North Korea was spontaneous and unscheduled. There has never been any discussion of the escalation of Kim's verbal threats. The effect of Trump's sentence the official explained was to make the North Koreans understand that the strategic patience of this country has run out and that it is our firm decision to defend ourselves and our allies at any cost “. In Tuesday's comment, Trump said: “North Korea will no longer make threats to the United States, we will respond with fire and fury like the world has never seen. Critics including Republican John McCain, head of the Armed Forces Committee in the US Senate, said Trump had to follow caution. "You have to be sure you can do what you say you are going to do," McCain said in a radio interview. Teny Hoyer, the No. 2 in the US House of Representatives, said of Trump's threat to North Korea "is reckless and shows a serious lack of judgment." China, which is North Korea's closest ally, despite the disappointment of Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs, described the situation as "complex and sensitive" and called for calm and a return to talks ". China calls on all parties to support political resolution to the nuclear issue of the Korean peninsula as the main road and to avoid any word or action that could intensify the crisis and military escalation. On North Korea, China also said that there is no secret to plans to develop a nuclear missile capable of hitting the United States and it is true that Korea has ignored all calls to stop its weapons programs. China also states that Korean ICBM missiles are to be considered as a legitimate means of defense against the perception of US ostracism, given the joint military exercises with South Korea.
In short, when Trump speaks, it seems to see Berlusconi when he was in government. Both extravagant and reckless. They forget the role they have and commit planetary "gaffes".
By Massimiliano D'Elia