Peace in Korea keeps getting closer despite U.S. resistance

In May, Trump cancelled summit talks with North Korea.
In August, Trump cancelled high-level peace talks with North Korea.
By fighting against peace on the Korean peninsula, Trump is carrying out a 70-year long American tradition.

The problem for Washington is that South Korea has a new president, thanks to the Candlelight Revolution, and he's pushing for peace in defiance of what the warmongers in Washington want.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in recently had a 3rd Summit, that the Trump Administration refused to attend. Because the U.S. wasn't there, important progress was made.

After the conclusion of the summit’s second meeting on Sept. 19 at the Paekhwawon Guest House in Pyongyang, the two leaders appeared determined as they jointly announced the September Pyongyang Declaration and Military Agreement for the Implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration. They spoke with a resolute attitude, their voices filled with conviction.

“There will no longer be war on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon declared. “We are not far away from complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Inter-Korean relations will remain steady, without faltering.”
...
The principal achievements of the Pyongyang summit are the advent of peace, eliminating the threat of war and regaining momentum for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. And this is not just rhetoric. The military agreement is as thorough as an insurance contract. It is far more detailed than all other inter-Korean agreements to date. The document contains five appendices in addition to the main text and signals a strong commitment to action from both Moon and Kim.

The agreement contains concrete steps for demilitarizing the border, such as halting artillery and other military drills close to the demilitarized zone, and banning the entry of warships and live-fire exercises around the Northern Limit Line.

To make matters worse (for Washington), both Korean nations have immediately taken this peace agreement to the U.N., and China has blessed the agreement.
The agreement also comes with sanctions-breaking economic ties.

The leaders of the two Koreas agreed Wednesday to hold a groundbreaking ceremony to link roads and railways within the year, in a move affirming willingness to resume business cooperation “to develop the nation’s economy in a balanced manner” on the Korean Peninsula.

The two sides also agreed to normalize stalled operations of the Kaesong industrial park and the Kumgangsan tour program “as conditions ripen.”

This is the exact thing that Washington didn't want. Only a few days ago, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley ranted that North Korea was skirting around UN Security Council sanctions, and that Russia was helping them.
In other words, Washington is giving the exact opposite message, and is completely out-of-step with the political climate.

The agreement even has things in it that Washington said that it wants.

At a news conference held in Pyongyang’s state guesthouse Paekhwawon, President Moon said that North Korea will permanently dismantle its Donchang-ri missile engine test site and launch pad and would allow international inspectors to observe. He added that the North would take the further step of closing its Yongbyon nuclear facility if the United States responded with further concessions.

"The South and the North also discussed denuclearization steps for the first time," Moon said of his talks with Kim in a joint press conference held at the North's state guesthouse Paekhwawon.

In a late-night tweet, President Donald Trump lauded Kim's diplomacy.
...The Yonhap News Agency reported Kim said he and Moon had agreed to remove all nuclear weapons and threats from the Korean Peninsula.

A day late and a dollar short, Washington has realized that the peace talks have left them behind, now are suddenly interested in a new U.S.-North Korea summit.
Most likely we will use a new summit to belligerently threaten and insult North Korea in order to derail or forestall peace breaking out for as long as possible.

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It was supposed to fail

But with the fragile US-North Korean détente on the verge of cracking, analysts have warned against unguarded optimism over the upcoming Pyongyang summit.

“This is a protracted process but the rug can be pulled out from under it at almost any time,” Patrick Cronin, senior director at the Washington-based Centre for a New American Security, told The Telegraph.

He predicted the meeting would produce little progress towards breaking the deadlock with Washington.

“It means that South Korea is putting pressure on the US to take modest steps on denuclearisation to prevent a collapse in the diplomatic process. And it means North Korea can further erode sanctions but not yet win major investment," he said.

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@gjohnsit
Not more peace!

Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to catch his Japanese counterpart off guard earlier this month, when he offered to sign a peace treaty before the end of the year "without any preconditions" to settle a territorial dispute and finally, formally end World War II.

The dispute centers on four islands at the southern end of the Kuril chain, which stretches between the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia.

Russia occupied the islands at the end of World War II, and while the two countries ended the fighting and restored relations, they never signed a peace treaty because of the territorial dispute.

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lotlizard's picture

@gjohnsit  
It would gain Russia a lot of goodwill.

But somehow I still doubt that there is enough understanding among the Russian leadership of how much such moves would show, rather than weakness, self-confidence in building the foundations of a new era.

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Perhaps you should explain how cancelling participation in peace talks between the two countries involved equals Trump fighting against peace. On its face this looks like a decision to not interfere. And it should also be apparent that Trump has very little control over Haley by how often her screeching rhetoric has conflicted with his.

I also note how little you participate in the discussions of the rampant criminality in the DOJ and FBI that is being revealed before our very eyes (no comments on Alligator Ed's post and one OT comment on Gulfgal's post). Despite your disparaging comments ("I didn't even read it"), the main purpose of your post above on the NYT articles about the Mueller probe seems to be to put this narrative in front the readers.

I think it is becoming increasingly clear who the lesser evil is in this conflict between DT and his establishment/DS enemies.

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@Bring Back Civics @Bring Back Civics
When you have tens of thousands of troops stationed in a country, not participating in peace talks that you have been invited to, with a country that you are technically at war with, constitutes obstruction.

it should also be apparent that Trump has very little control over Haley by how often her screeching rhetoric has conflicted with his

Yeh, no.
Her screeching rhetoric rarely conflicts with his (it usually involves Israel). And if she was doing something that he didn't want her to do, Trump would say something. He hasn't.

Despite your disparaging comments ("I didn't even read it"), the main purpose of your post above on the NYT articles about the Mueller probe seems to be to put this narrative in front the readers.

Oh, riiiiight. So me making yet another of at least a dozen essays ridiculing Russiagate is really me supporting the konspiracy theory in disguise!
So I'm a double-agent, eh? Very savvy of you sniffing that one out.
Is that you, Qanon?

I think it is becoming increasingly clear who the lesser evil is in this conflict between DT and his establishment/DS enemies.

I think it is becoming increasingly clear that the war between House Lancaster and House York means absolutely nothing to peasants like you and I.
The defenders of the status quo ruling elite are fighting with a billionaire man-child ruling elite. No one with my interests at heart are part of this fight.

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TheOtherMaven's picture

@gjohnsit

But what's "coming" isn't Winter, but Hot, Hot Summer all year round.

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

Take that Deep State!!

I seem to recall early after coronation Trump supporting Korean reunification or the US pulling out of there. I thought, "Deep State will not be happy with that!" So of course that idea was reversed over the next 12 mos.

This would not be happening under Her.

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