President Trump’s doubling down of his “fire and fury” comment is only encouraging Pyongyang to stay on its current nuclear ‘course.’
President Donald Trump ‘s doubling down on his “fire and fury” comment is only encouraging Pyongyang to stay on its current nuclear weapons “course, ” says an arms control expert.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is unlikely to voluntarily give up his nuclear weapons and ballistic missile delivery system — and he probably fears doing so would invite the United States or others to topple his regime.
In the 33-year-old dictator’s view, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Serbia’s Slobodan Milosevic — all leaders who didn’t have nuclear weapons — are examples of how change can be abrupt and often harsh.
“Kim is not nuts, but a student of history, ” said Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, a Washington think tank founded by former President Richard Nixon. “So was his grandfather and his father as well.”
At the same time, Trump ‘s comment Thursday that his earlier “fire and fury” statement on North Korea may not have gone far enough risks reinforcing Kim’s pro-nuclear stance, according to some experts.
“We’ve got a continuing escalation of threats and a war of words between the two countries, ” said Kingston Reif, director of disarmament and threat reduction policy for the Arms Control Association, a Washington-based research and advocacy group.
Added Reif, “And that in my view increases the risk of miscalculation and potential conflict — and just reinforces the North Korean regime’s view that its nuclear weapons are absolutely necessary and it needs to continue on its current course.
