We all know
what a man with a big pick-up truck is trying to compensate for. When it comes
to Trump and Kim Jung-un, the argument is similar. The question is who’s got
the biggest weapon of mass destruction. Trump makes sure everyone know he’s got
the biggest pick-up truck by calling his opponent “Little rocket man”. And wow,
doesn’t “weapon of mass destruction” sound sexy and manly? It is hard at this
point to take nuclear weapons seriously anymore, and this is what we must worry
about.
It’s almost
as if we’re living in a video game called Cold War II. In this game you
can be either “Dotard” or “Little Rocket Man”. Both characters hate each other
as much as they love themselves. If you are into the apocalypse or think all
that matters in the world is yourself, this is a perfect game for you. All you
need to play is a little red button! But be aware, you can only play the game
once. When it’s game over, it’s GAME OVER.
But most of
the time it feels like we are witnessing a play called “my toy is bigger than
his”. Diplomatic manners and especially diplomatic language are long gone. As
Trump tweets that it is a “waste of time” for his chief diplomat Rex Tillerson
to attempt negotiating with Pyongyang, what are the solutions he prefers? One
can only hope that Trump and Kim Jong-un are enjoying so much this
confrontation they will never actually take action. The pleasure is in the
battle of words or teasing through nuclear trials, and action would end that
pleasure. In the meantime, the two egos are like two peas in a pod. There is
also no room for error or escalation because escalation would mean destruction.
In the midst of this cat fight, the rest of the world is looking, laughing or
shrugging away. The most threatened, however, is not North Korea or America but
Seoul and Tokyo. If Kim Jong-un decides to attack, he only needs a missile each
to hit these two major cities.
Maybe it’s
the Olympics? After the Obama administration who was extremely cautious when it
came to foreign affairs, the confrontation between Trump and North Korea drops
like a bomb (quite literaly). As the Obama administration carried a view on foreign
affairs where American international intervention does more harm than good,
Trump brings America back at the center of the international news. In a similar
way, Kim Jong un uses the “mentally deranged” threats of Trump as a
justification to strengthen its nuclear power, not decrease it. If these were
the oOlympics (and not foreign affairs) it would be the Olympics of the
leviathans. Who will press the red button first?
No! Its a
dog fight! As Kim proclaimed, “A frightened dog barks louder”. Given that the
question always rises of whether Trump is a bully or a coward, it doesn’t take
a rocket scientist to figure out that he’s more of a poodle dog walking around
with his tail between his legs than a husky. In other words, he is a coward not
a bully. The more this dog fight goes on, the less he is actually taken
seriously. It is scary when even Kim Jung-un which not many people take
seriously as a politician, calls Trump “a gangster fond of playing with fire,
rather than a politician”. The bets are open and only bitcoins are accepted.
Actually, it
is only reality TV. Just sit back and relax. Get comfortable and enjoy the
popcorn. There is really no need to be dramatic. At the intersection between
House of Cards and the Kardashians, this new Fox produced show is rather
explosive. It was never really about weapons, only about media attention. The
two charismatic leaders of the world have succeeded as entertainers (if not as
politicians).
But,
seriously. Kim Jong-un claims he is doing tests only in preparation to protect
himself from America. He knows that attacking first would be self-destruction.
The question then is how far would Trump go? Trump might be able to go very
far, but he is not yet a dictator so as long as he does not make decisions
alone the reality is that he cannot go any further, except keep on tweeting.
It’s just international affairs and it’s going to be ok.
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