tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331361569911408612.post4037413503917375412..comments2024-03-27T17:21:24.219-04:00Comments on OUTTAKE BLOG™: Global Leaders Nuclear War GamesCharlotte Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13409719695261294226noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331361569911408612.post-87234562188968676712018-01-05T09:40:58.395-05:002018-01-05T09:40:58.395-05:00This latest flare-up between Trump and Kim puts us...This latest flare-up between Trump and Kim puts us into very dangerous, very Freudian waters. It’s deeply alarming to see two self-aggrandizing men with something to prove face off with nuclear weapons. Worse, Trump’s tweet this morning suggests the president actually believes his destabilizing rhetoric is paying off. We have every reason to expect he will continue to brandish these nuclear threats — which means this crisis will only worsen.<br /><br />Nuclear war is not a game; we are flirting with unacceptably high risks that carry catastrophic consequences for the country and the world. No one can afford to not take Trump’s threats seriously — least of all the North Koreans, who could be provoked into striking first in order to preempt what they perceive as an imminent attack.<br /><br />When Trump boasts of the big red button on his desk, it’s backed up by virtually limitless authority to make good on his threats. The nuclear briefcase follows him everywhere. At any moment he can pick up the phone and order a nuclear strike. Once he makes the call, there are zero safeguards we can count on to prevent that order from being executed. The system designed to carry it out is designed solely for deference and speed.<br /><br />It’s difficult to overstate the consequences of such an act by the president. Even without a retaliatory strike by North Korea — a response that would almost certainly come, killing tens of thousands of people in the region, including deployed American forces — the death toll would be horrific and far-reaching.<br /><br />Every effort must be made to avoid that nightmare scenario. President Trump must drop the escalatory bravado and immediately open a direct line of communication with Pyongyang, without preconditions. Unless we’re prepared to see mushroom clouds in Northeast Asia — and possibly here at home — we need to let the diplomats do their vital work. Only diplomacy can stop this conflict from going nuclear.Derek Johnson, executive director of Global Zerohttps://www.globalzero.org/noreply@blogger.com