[tw]

From the Economist of 9 Sept 2017:

Astonishingly, President Donald Trump’s first reaction to the nuclear test was to lambast South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, for seeking to talk to North Korea, accusing his government on Twitter of “appeasement”. He [Trump] took almost 36 hours to telephone Mr Moon and then only after it had emerged that had asked aides to pull out of a decade old free trade deal with South Korea. Even if the economics were sound (they are not), this is an awful time to pick a fight [with South Korea].

Mr Kim would love to drive a wedge between America and its allies. … Put crudely, Mr Kim wants to open up the old cold war question of whether an American president would risk San Francisco, say, to defend Seoul. If the answer is no, Mr Kim will soon be able to keep America at bay with his nukes and threaten his neighbors with impunity. For Mr Trump to let this happen would be an unforgivable mistake.

It gets more interesting. Putin has the kind of president he needs. An emotional one without any grasp of reality. Whose primary objective is promoting himself (as he did after the Houston floods).

Putin’s chess game is play Trump for a fool. Not hard to do when Trump’s decades of history has been acting like a bombastic buffoon. N Korea did not suddenly develop all these weapons. So many avoid discussing this even though it (and other reactions) was obvious back in 2016 if Trump became president. America is clearly on the defensive because its president it that pathetic.

He said all options are still on the table. Guess what? He cannot even select one from that table. Trump is doing exactly what he has done all his life. Promote himself. Leave others to make decisions. Then lay blame on others (including allies) when his indecision and expressed confusion was the problem.

Again from the Economist:

Hwasong 12 and 14 are powered by versions of a high performance Soviet missile engine known as RD-250 which the North has acquired by stealth. … North Korean could not have developed and manufactured such large rocket motors … outfits … producing this type of engine are Energomash in Russia and KB Yuzhnoye in Ukraine.

The latter has fallen on hard times … when Russian back separatists seized nearby parts of Ukraine. …

North Korea had been caught trying to procure missile parts from KB Yuzhnoye [when the Obama administration was successfully averting such disasters]. … North Korea may have now succeeded … in acquiring a “few dozen” RD-250 engines and transported them by train.

We know Putin feared forceful people such as Obama and Clinton. We know he likes and needs emotional and poorly educated leaders such as Trump. We now see a well executed Putin strategy at play. Did Putin implement it? Or did a knee jerk president simply make it possible and easier? Either is possible. Bottom line, a chess play like Putin is moving into position to say “Check”.

Putin’s possible strategy is obvious. Trump is no longer a leader of the free world. Angela Merkel is more likely that leader. Merkel successfully lead and parlayed Putin’s intimidations in Europe. Putin shifted to where Merkel has little influence and where America obviously undermined its influence and strategy. That destruction in East Asia starting with TPP.

Anyone knows from history that military alliances first start with economic ones. Anyone except extremists such as Trump who had no idea why the TPP was so essential to regional economic, political, and military stability.

Whether Putin selected it or the strategy fell in Putin’s lap, he has obviously trumped Trump in Korea. Leaving America scrambling to confront a pawn (N Korea) while the game board remains open for other adversaries and challengers.

The recent collision of another American destroyer demonstrates a severe problem. American navy hardware and officers are not getting maintenance, sufficient rest, and training due to constant threats from that pawn. N Korea suddenly this one year made advances that should have taken almost 20 years. That is no accident. That is what to expect now and probably constantly in the next four years – due to competence of this American president and the intelligence level of so many who supported (voted) for him.

Invariably, American education, infrastructure, social health, and economic growth will be harmed by a president who never created successful companies. And who prospered constantly at the expense of his counterparties (and allies). Like Nixon, Trump’s primary objective his himself; not the advancement of America. Meaning war for no purpose and to the detriment of America is likely.

Putin is clearly playing chess with a bombastic buffoon.