RantCrush Top 5: March 17, 2017

This morning, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke at a press conference in South Korea and warned that military action against North Korea is not unthinkable. “If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action then that option is on the table,” he said. North Korea has been pretty active with its nuclear weapons tests recently, with two tests last year and several missile launches. North Korean leaders have also said that they are working on a missile that could reach the U.S.

Tillerson said that the U.S. has been patient with North Korea for a long time, which hasn’t had much effect, but that he obviously wants to avoid an armed conflict. An armed conflict with North Korea is kind of a worst possible scenario–an American Army strategist, Major ML Cavanaugh, even pointed out that a ground war with North Korea would be very difficult. The country’s terrain is hard to navigate, and the North Korean army is likely better trained to handle it than Americans.

But, no one knows what the Trump Administration is thinking. In fact, Donald Trump tweeted about it this morning, seemingly echoing Tillerson’s comments.

North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been “playing” the United States for years. China has done little to help!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.