“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
The Battle of Gettysburg was the most significant battle in July 1863, fought in North America. It was a large bloody and fierce battle.
It was a battle on the moral high ground where both sides had people fighting with great courage.
Whilst fighting on the moral low ground, – courage does not bring you far. The moral high ground did, so to say, as embodied under the guidance of Lincoln’s Presidential team at the time. A time of crisis which required crisis management in the most optimal way.
The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War. It did not end slavery itself. Even Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 did not end slavery. Even the end of the war did not end slavery. But during the reconstruction after this US war, during the times federal laws were developed and implemented to protect the rights of freed slaves, – the start was made. The start was made to constrain racial violence as well
Today, racial violence is still an issue. Rejection of minorities are still issues for the US. And the risk of battles elsewhere to defend the high ground of constraining slavery are still topics in this century.
Not only this, many topics of concern did change over the last 150 years. Quite quick actually. The 1st world war did not end wars. Even the second world war did not end wars. However the hope was there with many.
Still, the real start of reconstruction and civilisation needs to be made all around the world. Despite all the progress, civilisation made little progress.
As time evolved many historic events passed the time of days gone by. Not only “days gone by” but centuries gone by. A narrative of many events, crisis, war’s and claims on authority and influence in areas where existing agreements were argued against changing circumstances.
In the history of mankind world powers evolved and disappeared eventually. From ancient times we may learn that no nation is permanent and the internal structure of a country may contribute to its own downfall. Especially those countries who are low ranking on civilisation.
Now, with so many nuclear powers existing, nuclear war is no rational alternative anymore, – at least not starting it! It would mean likely the downfall for all. The moral high ground is not starting war , – but preventing war through all reasonable means. That’s part of civilisation.
Whilst the US has been on the moral high ground when it had to defend the rights of free men during the 2nd world war along with its allies, the current US President is by no means a man of the moral high ground, nor is he able to defend the moral high ground as unpredictable behaviour and impulsivity is not the way to respond to threats. In this case the potential threat of North Korea.
Whilst the Battle of Gettysburg ( this month 1 July 1863 – 3 July 1863) was the turning point of the American Civil War and did save the Union, a US provoked war on the Korean Peninsula would be the worst and the last war the US ever started, – if it would start, such a war. Such action could turn against the US itself and its allies. Not because North Korea is not evil, though evil the regime is. But because a nuclear holocaust would be inevitable.
North Korea has built as many as at least a dozen nuclear bombs and can mount them on missiles capable of hitting much of Japan and South Korea. However North Korea will not do this, unless provoked. North Korea under its leader understands that being the first real aggressor of this kind will be the same as North Korea committing suicide. However, it works the other way as well. If the US strikes first, it will find most likely both Russia and China on its way as well, besides the full retaliation of North Korea. What President Trump not sufficiently understands is that North Korea is not a problem for the US only, it is one for both the US, China, Russia and many other countries and an international approach aimed at containment is the best possible approach, without being the first aggressor.
The fear for many is not what North Korea will do, as it will not do anything at the moment. The fear is more what Trump will do.
Washington is confusing, not only for itself but for many other countries as well. As long as the US does not attack first there is little to fear as North Korea will not start an initial attack. If it does, it finds both China, Russia and the US on its pathway and will be as such totally destroyed as long as Trump sticks to an agreed policy with China and Russia. If Trump prefers not do this and wants to fight “this battle on his own”, it will be the other way around.
North Korea despite deception and bluff knows that the US will survive any attempt from North Korea to attack US mainland, but North Korea will not survive in such a scenario. Hence it is worth not getting intimidated by intercontinental test missiles from North Korea but use the time properly and not getting into pointless arguments with both China and Russia.
Buying time via UN resolutions and both a common agreed approach with both Russia and China with neither silly announcements nor “Twitter comments” is the best way forward. We have seen now enough inconvenience in the US, related with the Trump Administration. It seems time to end this before Trump may end the United States of America, including perhaps the fate of many other countries.
Kim Jong Un from North Korea proved to be both dangerous and a survivor. He will remain the status quo because in this way he will survive his own people, who would likely not allow him to escape otherwise. He is definitely not a madman and dealing with him like “a madman” will not be that helpful. It is never too late though to manage him differently, but this has been troubling various US Administrations.
Trump may think he is smart, but he isn’t at all. His vocabulary and tone is very restricted in most of his expressions.
Many times over the last five months US President Donald Trump demonstrated deep lack of knowledge and inexperience, startling impulsiveness, a temper to lash out when criticised etc etc. The predictive value as how he would behave and deal with a genuine crisis is sobering when considering how he “stirred the pot” in the Middle East by messing up the Qatar crisis. Actually he is a man at the wrong place, making a disgrace of the US Presidency and failing to have insight or adopt his manners in more helpful actions. In reality he is an increasing security risk for the US and all its citizens and the only way to prevent a major irreversible disaster is to have him impeached sooner rather than later, with a more suitable replacement in line with US laws and the Constitution.
The question is how long are the Republicans prepared to wait and put their own country and image at risk by allowing President Trump to continue as he does. Trump is not only a problem for the US, he seems to be problem as well for many countries, countries not really knowing anymore what can be expected from the US. Washington, in contrast with the past, is a burden of confusion all around, and gives both the US and the world the poorest possible impression on leadership from a higher moral ground. There is neither much civilised nor wisdom in Donald Trump.
A US President who has been able to create a fake Trump University and ripped off many students keen to get an education and had to arrange a settlement for $2500000,= (before entering the White House), proved to be corrupt before he even started as US President. The US allowed a man to be its leader from the lowest moral low ground and is not likely to survive on this continued endeavour.
But this aside.
Vladimir Putin from Russia and Xi Jinping from China called on North Korea, South Korea and the US to sign up to China’s de-escalation plan. This policy aims to defuse tensions around the nation’s recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch. I think it is the only realistic option to buy time for a unified approach in the interest of all. An approach to temper the climate of increasing tension between both a dictator of a brainwashed country and a US President who is both unpredictable by nature and did not survive the test of any insight or integrity.
Time will tell how the US Republicans take their responsibility on board to tackle this huge burden for the US and its allies.
This will be part of the “Battle in Washington”, which indicates an impeachment process, where both the “House” and “The Senate” need to take the lead, compromised as The Executive Branch already is. In other words replacement of the current US President Donald Trump.
With Trump as US President, as it seems at present, the risk of conflict has been only increased. His general approach on international matters showed both very little balance and real insight till so far. The last does not take away that a solution needs to be found on the “dilemma” with North Korea,
Whether or not Trump will surprise us is hard to say but till so far most of us has been very unpleasant surprised by his exceptional poor performance.
Let’s hope the US will deal with him before he deals with the US.
Paul Alexander Wolf
We dream of things that never were and say: "Why not?" 