Defending President Trump on One Count: Withdrawing Our Troops from South Korea!

Written by Frank Li

One headline news story of the week has been the publication of Bob Woodward’s book “Fear“, which is hugely negative for President Trump. However, I want to defend President Trump on one count: there is no more reason for our military presence in South Korea!

Please share this article – Go to very top of page, right hand side, for social media buttons.

1. The case

Below is an excerpt from New York Times – Jim Mattis Compared Trump to ‘Fifth or Sixth Grader,’ Bob Woodward Says in Book.

In the North Korea meeting, during a period of high tension with the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, Mr. Trump questioned Mr. Mattis about why the United States keeps a military presence on the Korean Peninsula. “We’re doing this in order to prevent World War III,” Mr. Mattis responded, according to Mr. Woodward.

President Trump so alarmed his defense secretary, Jim Mattis, during a discussion last January of the nuclear standoff with North Korea that an exasperated Mr. Mattis told colleagues “the president acted like — and had the understanding of — a ‘fifth or sixth grader.'”

2. Trump is right in this case!

Below is an excerpt from a previous article of mine (Trump: Yet Another Failed President?).

Donald Trump has good and non-conventional instincts on many things, such as NATO (Trump says NATO is obsolete) and President Putin (Donald Trump: “Sure, Putin’s a killer, but we are, too”).

This is just yet another example of Trump’s good instinct: 65 years after the Korean War ended in 1953, why do we still have such a huge military presence over there?

3. Mattis is wrong in this case!

If Mattis said that “We’re doing this in order to prevent World War III,” he was wrong, totally!

If Mattis said that “the president acted like — and had the understanding of — a ‘fifth or sixth grader'” on this issue, then he should be the one receiving this kind of “insult”.

To truly understand the case, we must go back to the Korean War …

4. The Korean War and its aftermath

Let me ask and answer a few basic questions.

4.1 How did the Korean War start?

At the end of WWII in 1945, the allies liberated Korea from Japan, and divided it into two parts: North (a USSR alley) and South (a US alley), similar to the East-West situation in post-WWII Germany.

Something dramatic happened in neighboring China in 1949: the CPC (Communist Party of China) prevailed in China’s civil war, and unified China under one man: Mao Zedong.

This was a huge inspiration for North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, who thought he should follow Mao’s footsteps: unifying “his” entire country under him!

So, despite the strong objection from both the USSR and China, Kim launched a war against the South in 1950. He was so successful in the first few weeks that the US decided to intervene … For more, read: Wikipedia – Korean War.

The war ended in 1953.

4.2 What has changed in the region since 1953?

A few highlights:

1. Japan successfully recovered from WWII.
2. South Korea has become an economic powerhouse, following Japan, mostly.
3. North Korea remains feudalistic (and dirt poor), with Kim III in charge now.
4. China has dramatically risen over the past four decades, which has not only restored its historic status as the dominant regional power (Human History: China vs. Japan), but also restored the balance of the world, which was lost after 1492, when Columbus discovered the “new” world. For more, read: History 2.0.

The image below is worth more than 1,000 words. Size matters! Moreover, ever heard of the expression “geographic gravity”?

4.3 What has changed in the world since 1953?

A few highlights:

1. 1991: The end of the Cold War. For more, read: Democracy Prevailed over Communism, Really?
2. Since 2001: The dramatic rise of China vs. the steep decline of the West, especially America. For more, read: The U.S. vs. China.
3. Near future: End of Democracy?

4.4 What has not changed in America since 1953?

A few highlights:

1. The Cold War mentality and the constant need to have enemies in order to keep the MIC going. For more, read: The Evil Military-Industrial Complex.
2. The political system continues to fail.

5. Discussion

Once again, let me ask and answer a few basic questions.

5.1 Why do we still maintain such a huge military presence in South Korea?

Several key reasons:

1. We want to be there, thanks to the MIC.
2. South Korea wants us there, especially when they did not have to pay much for it. Besides, the US is a counter-force against China, whose regional economic dominance is a negative for South Korea.
3. Japan wants us there for the same reason as South Korea does.

5.2 Is South Korea under any real threat from North Korea?

No! Two main reasons:

1. Remember how the Korean War started? The same inspiration for the North to rule the South by annexing it no longer exists! Instead, the North has been fighting for its survival over the past few decades.
2. China. Read on …

China has diplomatic relations with both Koreas, and is fully capable of keeping the North in check, if China really wanted to do so. But what’s the incentive for China when the US not only keeps having a huge military presence over there, but also keeps having military exercises at the Yellow Sea?

5.3 Are we there to contain China?

No! Note: China is competing with us economically, not militarily. Besides, the Cold War ended in 1991!

Unfortunately, some American hawks will forever try to keep, and expand, the American Empire by squeezing everybody, and anybody, who comes to the scene, especially Russia and China. For more, read: For America, AIIB and Ukraine Are Related!

5.4 What should America’s Korea policy be?

Just get out of there! We are no longer needed over there and we can no longer afford to be over there, even if South Korea projects that it needs us.

6. World War III

Everything possible must be done to avoid WW III, which may destroy us as a species!

There is only one way to achieve it: all nuclear-armed countries cooperate, especially for the big three: The U.S., Russia, and China.

Unfortunately, the U.S. not only has been the most trouble-causing country in the world over the past two decades, at least, but also seems to think it alone can prevent WW III from happening. Furthermore, with America’s military presences in some 150 countries, do not be surprised that from now on, the standard military answer for the presence of any of them is the same: “to prevent WW IIIâ€, thanks to Mattis?

Here is a big problem: it’s not true!

Specifically, I believe North Korea pursued the nukes and long-range missiles because of our military presence over there. For more, read: Putin: North Korea Would ‘Eat Grass’ Before Giving Up Nukes.

Worse yet, our hawkish foreign policy has not only created huge chaos all over the world, but also brought huge disasters to America, such as the 9/11 attack (9/11 Attack vs. Pearl Harbor Attack).

Worst of all, unless we dramatically change our foreign policy, as I have suggested (American Democracy – Why is it failing & how to fix it?), America will inevitably be involved in World War III, and will thus be destroyed. The only two questions are

1. Which one of the other two big three nuclear-armed countries will be involved against us: Russia or China?
2. Whether the last one will be left standing after the war.

Specifically, here are two major changes we must make to our foreign policy:

1. Stop unreasonably squeezing old powers like Russia.
2. Yield some space to rising powers like China.

That’s the only way to maintain world peace and avoid World War III.

7. Closing

President Trump was right to question our continued military presence in South Korea, although I do not agree with his approach to solving the “North Korea problem”. For more, read: Trump’s Foreign Policy: A Total Disaster in the Making?

Now, please sit back and enjoy the video below.