NK Sanctions: Trump Triumph

At last the Trump administration has a breakthrough which will not only restore international faith in America to lead, but will secure the Trump presidency. Few in the world will see this but mark my words, this is a game changer. For the first time for a very long time, America, China and Russia have voted together for the same outcome on the Security Council; no vetoes or abstentions. There have been intensive negotiations behind the scenes and some very grown up comments from the State Department. America is not interested in regime change in North Korea, it does not want a unified Korean Peninsular, it does not want to threaten Kim Jon Un or his government. But it will not and cannot accept threats of nuclear attack upon the United States or its allies.

This is clever politics of a kind Trump promised, deals of mutual interest. Kim Jon Un can claim the country is no longer under threat from the U.S. and enter into talks of some kind to gradually unravel the nuclear programme. With the U.S., Russia and China all singing from the same sheet, his only other option is oblivion.

But it is in the U.S. itself that the game changer has happened. Congress has just imposed sanctions on Russia, to the fury of the White House and the EU; all part of a Democrat led obsession, into which many Republicans have been sucked, that Russia is an enemy and a threat. Collusion, hacking, meetings, whatever and so on have engulfed Capitol Hill and paralysed its ability to contribute to constructive government.  The world has looked on perplexed as the doleful Washington procession of Special Prosecutor, endless hearings, a Grand Jury, leaks and rumours have eclipsed the concept of useful government and ignored all the real issues which need solution.

Trump is not perfect, but he has now proved that he can deliver outcomes which most cannot and that the world can gain something from his presidency, in exchange for suffering climate change denial and a more questioning attitude to Europe and free trade. It also shows that the White House, now under the command of General Kelly, is coming together as a unified team after the confusion of the early months. The message is  that Congress can play its games, but the government of the United States will go on regardless and  the binge on demonising Russia is self defeating and contrary to the interests of the United States. Unless the investigators can come up with something real. But it would have to be very real and very big. Like Trump receives a monthly pay check from the Kremlin. Short of that the Democrats will just have to get back to  work on behalf of the people.That is why they are there in the first place.