US Imperial Madness

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

America's imperial agenda proves how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Endless US wars of aggression continue in multiple theaters. Trump threatened war on North Korea.

In a weekend interview, HR McMaster said America is preparing for possible "preventive war" on the country.

"If they have nuclear weapons that can threaten the United States. It's intolerable from the president's perspective. So of course, we have to provide all options to do that. And that includes a military option," he said.

Earlier, neocon Senator Lindsey Graham said Trump told him he's "willing to go to war with North Korea if they continued to try to hit America with an ICBM."

"He's told me that. I believe him... There is a military option to destroy North Korea's program and North Korea itself. I prefer the diplomatic approach. But they will not be allowed to have a missile to hit America with a nuclear weapon on top."

"If there's going to be a war to stop him, it will be over there. If thousands die, they're going to die over there. They're not going to die over here, and he's told me that to my face."

Preemptive war plans are prepared and ready. "All options are on the table," according to McMaster - despite no DPRK threat to America or any other nation. 

Washington threatens everyone. War on North Korea would be madness. Millions on both sides of the DMZ would be endangered. US military bases in Japan could be struck. The nation  could become a war zone for the first time since WW II.

On Monday, provocative large-scale joint US/South Korean military exercises began, continuing for 10 days.

Joint Chiefs chairman General Joseph Dunford said they're "not…part of the negotiation at any level," falsely claiming they're "very important to maintaining the ability of the alliance to defend itself" - despite no regional threats other than America's presence.

Pyongyang justifiably believes they're preparations for war on the country. China and South Korea said they won't tolerate it on the peninsula.

Beijing said it'll intervene militarily if Washington launches preemptive war. South Korean President Moon Jae-in firmly opposes it, saying "I can confidently say there will not be a war again on the Korean Peninsula."

It's unclear if Washington may intend a surgical strike or attempted sabotage against Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile capability on the phony pretext of them threatening America or its allies.

Preemptive war would be madness. Given America's rage for endless conflicts, North Korea remains a prime target - its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities its best deterrent.

A Final Comment

On Friday, US trade representative Robert Lighthizer formally initiated an investigation into China's intellectual property practices under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, saying:

"The investigation will seek to determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US commerce."

Trump signed an executive order authorizing the investigation. China's Commerce Ministry responded saying:

"The United States should treasure the current sound Sino-US economic and trade ties and cooperation momentum. Any US trade protectionism move will surely damage bilateral ties and the interests of companies from both countries."

Instead of using an established World Trade Organization mechanism for resolving trade disputes, Trump chose to be confrontational - risking East Asia trade and hot war by his provocative actions.

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.