Global Events & Politics Überthread

[sturg33]

'WASHINGTON — The leading Republican senator [Bob Corker] on foreign policy appeared unimpressed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech Monday detailing Iran’s history of covertly building a nuclear program, calling the shared revelations “nothing new” and “not groundbreaking.”
...

"I will say it is written almost with an assumption that Iran would try to cheat,” Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week. “So the verification, what is in there, is actually pretty robust as far as our intrusive ability to get in.”'

So it's new information about something we already knew...the ramifications of which are baked into the deal.

Smells like 2003.

Everyone knew except Obama I guess

[Julio3000]

Nothing new about Iran secretly building nuclear bombs. That's what you're going with here? Lol

The program alluded to, ca. 2003, was known well in advance of the 2015 deal, as was its successor program. So if I've missed the bit about a currently existing program, please feel free to correct me.

As Mattis testified, the deal was written with the assumption of possible attempts to cheat, which is why the provisions for inspections, rather than mere trust, were written in fairly rigorously.

[Julio3000]

Everyone knew except Obama I guess

Right, because the attempt to do so in 2003 still applied post-2015, when checks were put in place.

Show your work here or step off.

[thethe]

The program alluded to, ca. 2003, was known well in advance of the 2015 deal, as was its successor program. So if I've missed the bit about a currently existing program, please feel free to correct me.

As Mattis testified, the deal was written with the assumption of possible attempts to cheat, which is why the provisions for inspections, rather than mere trust, were written in fairly rigorously.

This is not true. The extent of Iran nuclear capabilities were not known to IAEA and their report excluding that information paved the way for the deal. That's the news here and the reason it was not known was Iran deliberately hiding this information. Want to take a guess why they hid it?

[Hawk]

[Hawk]

https://www.axios.com/north-korea-am...source=sidebar

Three Americans being held in North Korean labour camps have been released

[Julio3000]

https://www.axios.com/north-korea-am...source=sidebar

Three Americans being held in North Korean labour camps have been released

That's great news.

Far less importantly, I think it's also politically helpful for the administration, because it gives them something concrete to point to if challenged on agreeing to the high-level meets with out getting anything in return...particularly if there's less movement than is hoped.

[57Brave]

[Hawk]

Since the question why unification is important has recently stumped a few of the usual suspects:

https://www.axios.com/north-korea-so...402cc0994.html

One story that was widely reported in the South Korean press but didn't get much attention in the U.S. is that, at their April summit, Moon gave a USB drive to Kim.

*cough* http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/...px?aid=3047605

"The USB makes the case to Kim — there really is another path for you," John Delury, an expert in North Korean affairs at Seoul's Yonsei University, told me. He said the USB, which contained a plan for tens of billions worth of economic development in North Korea including railways and energy, sent the message to Kim: "We’re serious about working with you for what we think is your real ambition — to be a wealthy East Asian country."

[...]

Delury thinks Trump's abnormalities — his disdain for bureaucratic processes and deliberative decision-making — have helped create abnormal momentum on the Korean Peninsula.

"I do give one-third of the credit to the Trump administration," Delury told me. "They ended Strategic Patience and ramped up sanctions. Then they ramped up the military threat, and because we all thought he was crazy enough to take us to war," that forced everyone to act differently.

"But he also ramped up diplomacy" by immediately agreeing to meet with Kim. "Maybe if [Trump] asked his advisers, they would’ve stopped him."

[thethe]

Stormy!!!

[Hawk]

... and we outtie.

All sanctions reimposed.

[thethe]

... and we outtie.

All sanctions reimposed.

TREMENDOUS DAY!

This is why we voted for Trump!

[Krgrecw]

TREMENDOUS DAY!

This is why we voted for Trump!

Amen

[thethe]

[thethe]

Never been more proud to be an American. We cannot tolerate regimes like Iran.

[The Chosen One]

Lol. That's enough of a reason to back out of the Iran deal (when no real high level government official has ever said such) but Trump folks have essentially welcomed Kim Jong Un in open arms.

[thethe]

Lol. That's enough of a reason to back out of the Iran deal (when no real high level government official has ever said such) but Trump folks have essentially welcomed Kim Jong Un in open arms.

Kim Jung UN was a situation that was pushed down the block for decades and we had to deal with the hand that was dealt.

Completely different situation.

[The Chosen One]

When your own Secretary of State (who was also CIA Director) and Director of National Intelligence publicly say Iran is complying... I just don't know what to say.

[Julio3000]

When your own Secretary of State (who was also CIA Director) and Director of National Intelligence publicly say Iran is complying... I just don't know what to say.

... and the chairs of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees were supporting staying in and publicly stating that they haven't seen alternatives.

[thethe]

When your own Secretary of State (who was also CIA Director) and Director of National Intelligence publicly say Iran is complying... I just don't know what to say.

There is no trusting Iran. Its a losing battle and its naive to think they would ever uphold their agreements.

This was entered into by executive order and now its being destroyed by an executive order. If a true treaty wants to be implemented it should go through Congress.