Susan Rice Slams Trump's Reaction To North Korea As 'Dangerous' And 'Unprecedented'
- 7 years ago
In a New York Times op-ed, former national security adviser Susan Rice has called President Trump's reaction to North Korea's threats "dangerous."
In an op-ed published by the New York Times on Thursday, former national security adviser Susan Rice called President Trump's reaction to North Korea's threats "dangerous" and "unprecedented."
"We have long lived with successive Kims’ belligerent and colorful rhetoric," Rice said. "What is unprecedented and especially dangerous this time is the reaction of President Trump."
Rice was referring to a reportedly improvised remark by Trump on Tuesday when he said, "North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."
She continued in her op-ed, "Either Mr. Trump is issuing an empty threat of nuclear war, which will further erode American credibility and deterrence, or he actually intends war next time [North Korean leader Kim Jong-un] behaves provocatively. The first scenario is folly, but a United States decision to start a pre-emptive war on the Korean Peninsula, in the absence of an imminent threat, would be lunacy."
Besides limiting "reckless rhetoric," she suggests bolstering antimissile systems and additional diplomatic means to curb North Korea's ambitions.
Rice notes, "war is not necessary to achieve prevention, despite what some in the Trump administration seem to have concluded. History shows that we can, if we must, tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea — the same way we tolerated the far greater threat of thousands of Soviet nuclear weapons during the Cold War."
Meanwhile, following Trump's stern warning on Tuesday, North Korea is continuing to threaten a strike near Guam as tensions with the U.S. escalate.
The Associated Press, or AP, tweeted Wednesday, “North Korea says it will complete plan to attack waters near Guam by mid-August then wait for commander in chief's order.”
In another tweet, the AP noted, "North Korea's military calls Trump's threat a 'load of nonsense,' says 'only absolute force' can work on Trump."
In an op-ed published by the New York Times on Thursday, former national security adviser Susan Rice called President Trump's reaction to North Korea's threats "dangerous" and "unprecedented."
"We have long lived with successive Kims’ belligerent and colorful rhetoric," Rice said. "What is unprecedented and especially dangerous this time is the reaction of President Trump."
Rice was referring to a reportedly improvised remark by Trump on Tuesday when he said, "North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."
She continued in her op-ed, "Either Mr. Trump is issuing an empty threat of nuclear war, which will further erode American credibility and deterrence, or he actually intends war next time [North Korean leader Kim Jong-un] behaves provocatively. The first scenario is folly, but a United States decision to start a pre-emptive war on the Korean Peninsula, in the absence of an imminent threat, would be lunacy."
Besides limiting "reckless rhetoric," she suggests bolstering antimissile systems and additional diplomatic means to curb North Korea's ambitions.
Rice notes, "war is not necessary to achieve prevention, despite what some in the Trump administration seem to have concluded. History shows that we can, if we must, tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea — the same way we tolerated the far greater threat of thousands of Soviet nuclear weapons during the Cold War."
Meanwhile, following Trump's stern warning on Tuesday, North Korea is continuing to threaten a strike near Guam as tensions with the U.S. escalate.
The Associated Press, or AP, tweeted Wednesday, “North Korea says it will complete plan to attack waters near Guam by mid-August then wait for commander in chief's order.”
In another tweet, the AP noted, "North Korea's military calls Trump's threat a 'load of nonsense,' says 'only absolute force' can work on Trump."