North Korean Problem: Washington Sees No Options 'Apart From Starting a War'

14.05.2017 15:52

North Korean Problem: Washington Sees No Options 'Apart From Starting a War'

It seems that unleashing a war against North Korea remains one of the White House's very few options to reign in Kim Jong Un, John Dunn, Professor Emeritus of Political Theory at Cambridge University, told Sputnik.

In an interview with Sputnik, John Dunn, Professor Emeritus of Political Theory at Cambridge University, focused on Washington's current stance on North Korea, especially in light of Pyongyang's latest missile test.

The interview came after media reports said that the CIA had established a Korea Mission Centre to contain the nuclear threat emanating from Pyongyang.

The center will employ all of the CIA resources to direct efforts against the looming North Korean menace.

The creation of a mission center focused on one country signifies that the Trump Administration is taking a more forceful approach towards the belligerent East Asian country, media reports said.

The move comes as South Korea elected a new president who prefers a diplomatic and more conciliatory stance toward Pyongyang.

Moon Jae-in, the former human rights lawyer, won support of nearly forty two per cent of the electorate.

The sixty-four-year old leftist liberal wants to adopt a softer approach towards North Korea. He believes that the hardline policy that Seoul has maintained towards Pyongyang is futile.

Commenting on the CIA's decision to create a Korea Mission Center, John Dunn described it as "the beginning of the Trump Administration's actual response to North Korea" and the sign that the North Korean problem got worse."

At the same time, he said that it can be seen as part of the operating style of the Trump Administration, which is known more for its loud bark rather than its bite.

"It's just an announcement and it's not clear what America can do about North Korea apart from starting a war," Dunn said.

Referring to North Korea, he remained downbeat about the current US and South Korean leaders' ability to resolve what he described as a "really tough sort of problem."

"I don't think there is any reason to anticipate that the new South Korean President will be more successful than some of his predecessors who were very keen to improve relations [with Pyongyang]. Also, I don't think Trump will be more effective than previous American Presidents [in terms of solving the North Korean issue]," Dunn added.

Meanwhile, media outlets have quoted the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying on Sunday that Pyongyang had launched an unidentified missile, presumably a ballistic one, in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan Province, which flew about 430 miles and fell in the Sea of Japan.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the missile presumably flew for 30 minutes, not reaching the Japanese exclusive economic zone.

At the same time, the US Pacific Command said that it had detected and tracked the North Korean missile launch, but there was no confirmation that it was an intercontinental ballistic missile.