July 14, 2017
Source: Bigstock
It’s frustrating for a Great Power like the USA to be defied by a pip-squeak dictator, and the temptation to act decisively by launching preemptive strikes against North Korea’s nuclear facilities is strong. It’s all the stronger because “appeasement” has become a dirty word. Yet appeasement is the sensible policy of the first resort; it can take the heat out of a debate. President Teddy Roosevelt advocated speaking softly and carrying a big stick. Everyone”even Kim Jong-un”knows just how big America’s stick is. So, for the time being, there is no need to use it and good reason for soft speech. Speaking softly isn”t President Trump’s style”at least when he departs from the brief given him by the State Department and his generals”but I doubt that he will do more than wave the big stick as a reminder of what he might, and could, do if provoked beyond measure.
As Winston Churchill said, “jaw-jaw is better than war-war.” Kim Jong-un is homicidal; he has disposed of anyone who seemed to threaten his power”even members of his own family. But there’s no reason to think he is also suicidal. He wants attention, and he’s getting that, but his bluster is perhaps evidence of his fragility rather than of his strength. A long game is in America’s interest, just as it has proved to be in the case of Iran. Washington can wait”just as Marshal Kutuzov did”relying on patience and time to calm North Korea’s fears. Doing nothing violent gives you scope to do something sensible. In W.S. Gilbert’s words, “Quiet, calm deliberation disentangles every knot.” President Trump prides himself on his ability as a deal maker. Well, there’s a big deal to be done here. President Nixon went to Beijing. Perhaps President Trump should go to Pyongyang, or, better still, invite the Korean dictator to the White House, always repeating to himself, “Patience and Time.”
