‘FIRE AND FURY LIKE THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN’: REAL THREAT OR BLUSTER?

But excessive arrogance could lead brave and angry talk to missile war

For three straight days, U.S. President Trump did like no American leader had done before in dealing with a hostile country.

Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. military “would unleash fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Thursday, he said his threat might not have been tough enough as he derided past presidents for being soft on the Nokor threat. Friday, Trump capped it with cocky bombast, “Military solutions now on lock and load, should Nokor act unwisely.”

Kim Jong Un, Nokor dictator, short on rhetoric but more combustible, in answer to Trump’s “hell and fire” warning, said it would fire strategic ballistic missiles to Guam, most likely the Anderson base.

From noise

The exchange of threats may no longer be mere noise from two impetuous and narcissistic leaders. Each country has the means to destroy the other. The problem is that they cannot limit devastation to their respective nations and territories.

It could set off, some pundits say, World War III, with Russia and China, along with South Korea and Japan, as primary participants and the European Union and other countries that would be dragged into it.

The Philippines cannot be considered neutral: it has a mutual defense treaty with the U.S. While President Duterte is pivoting PH towards China, it’s all talk. PH is still tied to the U.S. by document and tradition. PH is only 3,102 kms. from North Korea, within firing distance.

Shooting war

There are back-door talks, we are told, between U.S. and Nokor. And Russia and China are mediating for a “double freeze” on American military exercises and Pyongyang missile tests. But what if Trump or Kim could not help but match their brave and angry language with a shooting war? Or by sheer recklessness explode the bombs. “Like the world has never seen.”