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Hither and Yon

‘Expert’ fixes for the North Korea crisis: Seriously?

By World Tribune on August 3, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com
By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON ― North Korea pops off another ICBM, and suddenly the U.S. media is full of talking heads offering views and solutions.

They range from the extremes of annihilating North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities to, “Oh, just sign a peace  Read More 
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Vise tightens on North Korea crisis as Americans focus elsewhere

July 28, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com
By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON — Americans are so fixated on the issues of healthcare and Russia that tightening sanctions on North Korea almost escapes notice.

One minute the networks are vying with one another on what passes as “analysis” on President Trump’s efforts to replace Obamacare with Trumpcare, and  Read More 
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Going rogue in Seoul: Leftists’ dream president suddenly hints South Korea should ‘go nuclear’

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON – The standoff on the Korean peninsula is entering a new phase. While President Moon Jae-In calls for talks with North Koreans, he is also honoring the U.S.-Korean alliance and insisting the North give up its nuclear program.

Can Moon have it both ways? He’s besieged by protesters  Read More 
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Tillerson’s stealth diplomacy in Qatar, host to largest U.S. overseas air base

July 13, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON ― We hear so often about tight U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia that we forget the Saudis kicked out the last U.S. troops in the early 2000’s.

Seems they regarded the U.S. presence as an affront to Islam more than a decade after  Read More 
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Heartburn in Pyongyang as ‘puppet’ from Seoul visits White House

July 6, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON – Pro-Northers have got to be more than a little disappointed by the recent summit between the presidents of the Republic of Korea and the United States.

Judging from all the blather they were emitting before the summit, the pro-North crowd would have far rather seen  Read More 
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U.S.-North Korea-China peace treaty? Bad idea

June 29, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON – The good news about President Moon Jae-In’s summitry with President Donald Trump this week is they’re talking as partners in the drive to end North Korea’s nuclear program and bring about inter-Korean reconciliation.

A major barrier to cooperation, however, is loose talk  Read More 
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Exercise in terrorism: The likely cause of Otto Warmbier’s death

June 22, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

The death of Otto Warmbier provides a powerful reminder of the torture and terrorism perpetrated by one of the world’s most repressive regimes.

Americans are no doubt aware of the tyranny of the dynasty led by a man who revels in ordering the development of  Read More 
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Peace? Or should the conference theme be ‘Long live the brutal Kim dynasty’?

June 15, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON – Christine Ahn, a policy analyst with the Korea Peace Network, had what appeared to be good news as she opened a conference here with the portentous title, “Off Ramps to War: Paths to Building Peace with North Korea.”

Otto Warmbier, the University of Virginia student  Read More 
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Peace through hot air: Talking in circles at the ‘Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity’

June 9, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

JEJU -- Gary Samore of the Belfer Center at Harvard, formerly with the Obama administration, suggested at the annual Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity that resolution of North Korea’s nukes-and-missiles program may be insoluble.

That sense weighs heavily on policy-makers in Seoul and Washington. How  Read More 
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Key U.S. alliance in Northeast Asia put to the test with election of new South Korean leader

May 19, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

Would Kim Jong-Un mind giving Moon Jae-In a break?

More than any other South Korean leader in years, Moon would like nothing better than to be the one to bring about North-South reconciliation. Wouldn’t it be great, Moon’s newly appointed former activists must be  Read More 
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