Attempts by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to ease the concerns of North Korean leadership may have backfired spectacularly on Thursday, when a high-ranking military commander refused to rule out the possibility of the US toppling Pyongyang “for the heck of it.”
Adm. Harry Harris, head of Pacific Command, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee to brief lawmakers about the simmering conflict on the Korean peninsula — tensions that could ratchet up following the unsettling exchange between the admiral and Sen. Graham.
Characterizing Kim Jong Un’s dash to a deliverable nuclear weapon as an “insurance policy” against perceived US aggression, Sen. Graham tried to assure the North Korean government that they’re mistaken, and that the US isn’t interested in regime change.
“Is it fair to say, we do not have any intention of invading North Korea at all?” Graham asked Adm. Harris. “Nobody has told you get ready to invade North Korea.”
“That is not fair to say, sir,” Harris countered. “I believe the President has said that all options are on the table.”
“Yeah, but I mean we’re not just going to go in and take North Korea down for the heck of it,” Graham responded, trying again to get the Admiral to dispel the notion of US aggression.
Harris persisted, replying: “I don’t want to get into what we could or couldn’t do.”
“Well North Korea thinks we’re going to invade at any moment,” Graham pushed on. “Do you think that’s part of our national security strategy—without provocation to attack North Korea?”
“I think North Korea has provided provocation already,” Harris said.
Despite the exchange, Graham concluded his questioning with a message to Pyongyang: “In case North Korea is listening, none of us want to invade your country.”
The senator’s overtures, however, weren’t just undermined by US Pacific Command, but also by his own prior words. A day earlier, during an interview with NBC, Graham defended the idea of a preemptive strike on North Korea.
“It’d be terrible, but the war would be over there, it wouldn’t be here,” Graham said. “It would be the end of North Korea, but what it would not do is hit America.”
On Wednesday, the entire US Senate was invited to the White House for a rare briefing on the North Korea situation. Most lawmakers emerged from the meeting confused about its purpose.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told CNN that he “learned nothing new” at the gathering. “I’m not quite sure why we went all the way down to the White House,” he said.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the briefing, “okay.” When asked if it was “worthwhile,” Corker said: “I’m not sure.”
During Thursday’s hearing, Adm. Harris told lawmakers that a newly-deployed missile defense system in South Korea would be “operational in the coming days.”
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system was installed over the objections of Russia and China, who are concerned about the radar system’s wide reach.
North Korean state news, meanwhile, reported that there was a massive military drill ongoing Wednesday, featuring a live-fire artillery barrage. The drill was held to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army’s creation.
US and South Korean military units have also been conducting joint drills of their own.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.