On October 19 on the evening newscast, NBC reported these words out of North Korea: “Negotiation is only possible if America’s nuclear weapons are also on the table.”
Days later the words are still ringing in my ears, in spite of perpetual static on every other topic imaginable.
I have heard over and over about a conflict between Trump and a congresswoman about what he said or didn’t say to a dead soldier’s wife, along with Gen. Kelly’s reaction. I read a headline about the EPA canceling a meeting of its scientists, and that one celebrity is pregnant and another engaged. And I have heard infinitum about pervasive sexual harassment, but not a sound from anybody about these intriguing words from the vice foreign minister of North Korea.
And, listening to the broadcast again, I realize that even the NBC reporter, speaking from North Korea, did not headline his statement but put it at the end of the segment, among signs of Pyongyang’s intransigence.
Excuse me, but didn’t North Korea just lob the ball into our court?
Consider the context:
That the United States invented and used “the bomb.”
That since then nine other countries have developed nuclear war capabilities, some of these with the technical assistance, plus political and even financial support of the United States.
That, in recognition of the danger that such weapons pose to the entire world, one hundred and twenty-nine countries have signed a nuclear non-proliferation treaty, though none of the ten countries who already have nuclear weapons were among these signers.
At the same time, the United States has done all in its power to prevent countries we don’t like or trust, countries that challenge our influence in some area of the world, from developing nuclear capabilities.
In spite of all that, North Korea has made great strides toward becoming a nuclear power and has engaged our president in an exchange of threats. In fact, part of the same NBC report included North Korea’s warning of “an unimaginable strike.”
In the last few weeks, from various directions, including our own Secretary of State, suggestions have surfaced about the possibility of negotiating with North Korea, whose people are suffering economically while convinced of our hatred and evil intentions toward them. And now we learn that in June former president Jimmy Carter volunteered to travel to North Korea for the Trump administration and attempt to lower the tension. This information surfaced in an interview by Maureen Dowd for the Sunday NY Times Review. In answer to a question, the former president revealed that he took advantage of his seat beside Lt. Gen. H.H. McMaster at Zbigniew Brzezinski’s funeral to send a message to the president. So far he has gotten only a negative response.
Into this situation, the vice foreign minister drops these words for our consideration, “Negotiation is only possible….if America’s nuclear weapons are also on the table.”
Is that not perfect logic?
Is that not an appeal to fairness?
Does that not mean, “Negotiation is possible, if………”?
And, so far as we know, Trump does not respond and Tillerson goes on reorganizing the State Department, while the Department of Defense makes foreign policy decisions.
I don’t know the vice foreign minister of North Korea. Perhaps he speaks carelessly like some other people we know. Or maybe he is bluffing, knowing how much we insist on being the biggest, baddest power in the world.
Maybe no one in Washington knows how to respond to this challenge to America’s intentions.
Urgently, like right now, we need a Department of Peace whose job is to figure it out, to listen and respond in hope of saving the world.