 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) Oct 4, 2017
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is a rational politician and the US needs to understand that to deal with the nuclear-armed country, a top Central Intelligence Agency Korea expert said Wednesday. "Beyond the bluster, Kim Jong-Un is a rational actor," said Yong Suk Lee, the deputy assistant director of the CIA's Korea Mission Center. "We have a tendency in this country to underestimate his conservatism." "He wants to rule for a long time and die in his own bed," Lee said at a conference on the CIA at George Washington University. US politicians including President Donald Trump have repeatedly painted Pyongyang's strongman as irrational and "crazy." But Lee said Kim's focus is to stay in power, as shown by the brutal murder in Malaysia in February of his half brother Kim Jong-Nam, which has been blamed on Pyongyang agents. "All politics is local," he said of the North Korean milieu. The country's long history of being surrounded by greater powers, too, means that the country is constantly on the defensive, and its leaders play that up. "North Korea ia a political organism that thrives on confrontation," Lee said. But Kim's fierce defense of his position and his combativeness against Washington does not mean he will act irrationally now that he has the capacity to fire a nuclear tipped missile at the United States. "Waking up and deciding to nuke Los Angeles is not in his interest to survive," he said.
Pentagon chief says US admin backs Tillerson's North Korea effortWashington (AFP) Oct 4, 2017 Pentagon chief Jim Mattis tried to clear up doubts about the US administration's North Korea strategy Tuesday, backing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's effort to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff. Defense Secretary Mattis was speaking two days after President Donald Trump appeared to undermine his top diplomat by saying Tillerson was "wasting his time" by maintaining conta ... read more Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
