During a press availability with Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was asked about the recent stunning developments between the U.S. and North Korea. The Q&A segment is outlined below:

QUESTION: Thank you so much. Mr. Secretary, for months you’ve been saying that conditions are not yet right for talks with North Korea, and that you would know it when you saw it. Less than 24 hours ago, that was still your position. What changed in the last 24 hours that gave the Trump administration confidence that now is the right time? Can you explain the logic behind starting this process, talks about talks, as you’ve described it at the level of the leaders of the country? And did you know when you made those comments yesterday that this meeting was in the works?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: With respect to talks with North Korea versus negotiations – and I think this seems to be something that people continue to struggle with the difference. My comments have been that we’re – the conditions are not right for negotiations, but we’ve been saying for some time we are open to talks.

President Trump has said for some time that he was open to talks and he would willingly meet with Kim Jong-un when conditions were right and the time was right. And I think in the President’s judgment, that time has arrived now. So there’s no – in my comments yesterday, I was indicating comments about negotiations, but we’ve been open for talks for some time.

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The statement tonight by South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong is so jaw-dropping in significance it has left the professional diplomatic apparatus stunned.

A year of targeted and strategic geopolitical policy execution by President Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has resulted in North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accepting denuclearization and requesting a meeting with President Trump to achieve terms therein.

Yeah, HO-LEE-CATS is an understatement.  The possibility of a willingly denuclearized Korean peninsular is such an astounding policy victory; it is difficult to conceptualize.  Here’s the statement from South Korea’s Chung Eui-yong:

“Good evening, today I had the privilege of briefing President Trump on my recent visit to Pyongyang, North Korea.  I’d like to thank President Trump, the vice-president and his wonderful national security team, including my close friend General McMaster.” 

“I thanked President Trump that his leadership, and his maximum pressure policy together with international solidarity, brought us to this juncture.  I expressed President Moon Jae-in’s personal gratitude for President Trump’s leadership.”

“I told President Trump that in our meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he is committed to denuclearization. Kim pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests; he understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue.  And he expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible.”

“President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization.”

“The Republic of Korea along with the United States, Japan and our many partners around the world, remain fully and resolutely committed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsular.” 

“Along with President Trump we are optimistic about continuing a diplomatic process to test the possibility of a peaceful resolution.   The Republic of Korea, The United States and our partners stand together in insisting that we not repeat the mistakes of the past; and that the pressure will continue until North Korea matches it’s words with concrete actions.  Thank You.”   (link)

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♦Three days ago (March 5th, 2018) South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.  ♦Earlier today Chung Eui-yong met with President Trump’s National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and briefed other senior members of the Trump administration. ♦Moments ago President Trump told the media to anticipate a “big announcement from South Korea” at 7:00pm EST.

Given the time of day for the announcement, it must be very good news for Team Trump and likely surrounds discussions between the South Korean officials and the DPRK about denuclearization talks.  [7:00pm EST is 5:00am Friday in South Korea.]

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Very cautious optimism because Red Dragon has history of using the Panda Mask to cloud intents as a strategy.   North Korea is a proxy state to their enabler, China.  DPRK Kim Jong-un is little stompy-feet panda to the big panda/red dragon, Chairman Xi Jinping.

The one constant in an ever-changing universe is the gravity of China; it only goes one-way.  China allows and directs what is in China’s best interests.  Period.

Chinese Chairman-for-life Xi Jinping (all he represents) view smiling panda economics as modern intercontinental nuclear weapons.

Chairman Xi and President Trump have been deep inside a geopolitical smiling contest for over a year.  Xi and Trump are playing grandmaster level geopolitical economics.  Their most consequential moves are well beyond the horizon; far away from the gaze of the crowd; the media is oblivious to them.

•Japan (Shinzo Abe) has stated they have “great confidence” in President Trump’s Asian national security approach. •South Korea (President Moon Jae-in) stated they are “confident there will not be war again on the Korean peninsula“; •and they are willing to send a special envoy to North Korea to begin talks. •In addition, China quietly removed the 71-year-old veteran diplomat, Wu Dawei, from the position of negotiator toward the DPRK, and replaced him with 58-year-old Kong Xuanyou. Kong is a long time Chinese diplomat in charge of Asian affairs and he speaks Korean.

All of this was generally under-reported and took place months before President Trump arrived in Asia last year.  The U.S. media was busy pushing racism and Charlottesville narratives.  More importantly this quiet activity took place while President Trump directed US Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer to begin a section 301 trade investigation (Intellectual Property theft) into China.

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This won’t come as a surprise to most, because if you scratch almost any mainstream U.S. journalist you’ll discover a DNA-level love for totalitarianism at the heart of their world-view.

However, for the non-indoctrinated it is still disconcerting to see U.S. media cheerfully spread propaganda for communist dictators and their regime. [Perhaps Anderson Cooper will take pictures atop North Korean anti-aircraft guns.]

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CIA Director Mike Pompeo appears on CBS Face the Nation for a conversation with John Dickerson.
Dickerson walks the fine line between maintaining his invitations to the DC cocktail circuit parties, where President Trump must be regarded as a vulgarian to gain admission, and yet he doesn’t want to go full-Tapper-childish and diminish his own credibility.
As such Dickerson sticks mainly to the substantive issues which confront the challenges of foreign policy and geopolitical adversaries: North Korea, Iran and Pakistan.  Toward the end of the interview Dickerson questions Pompeo about FISA-702 re-authorization.
Good Interview:

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave an interview to CNN discussing some of the current foreign policy challenges facing the U.S., such as North Korea etc.  Of course, CNN can’t make it half-way through the interview without wanting to discuss the gossip book currently in the headlines.
Throughout all prior administrations CNN has been the media mouthpiece for the U.S. State Department. CNN and CNNi have a history of shaping coverage, molding narratives and gaining friendly access to DoS bureaucrats – and the best cocktail parties. However, since the Trump administration took office, CNN’s relationship with the state department’s political agenda is gone. They hate that.

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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley delivered strong remarks today during a press briefing surrounding U.S. policy toward Pakistan and Iran.

“The administration is withholding $255 million in assistance to Pakistan. There are clear reasons for this. Pakistan has played a double game for years. They work with us at time, and they also harbor the terrorists that attack our troops in Afghanistan. That game is not acceptable to this administration.”

WATCH:

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Think BIGLY – On a geopolitical level the U.S. relationship with Pakistan is shadowed by a strong  Pakistani economic relationship with China.  China is Pakistan’s biggest investor.  China has also recently been identified as covertly propping up North Korea with smuggled oil shipments: “Very Disappointing“.
The central U.S. Pakistani relationship has always been about our fight against the terrorist networks of the Taliban in Afghanistan.  Pakistan has played both sides of that coin.  In August of 2017 President Trump warned Pakistan our relationship with them would be different if they did not stop enabling the Taliban.
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Many readers might remember back in the summer 2017 (throughout July) when there were indications that President Trump, and allies, were positioning assets and drills for what appeared to be a strategic naval blockade. Well, today Reuters is reporting that South Korea has seized a second oil tanker, flagged under Panama, headed to North Korea.
The cost of smuggling oil into North Korea is getting very high. These oil tankers are very expensive and the cost of commerce in international ocean freight is underwritten by massive global insurance companies. Each of these interdictions’ makes the business end of smuggling much more unstable.  Additionally, each of these violations opens up the co-dependent enabler as a target for massive U.S. Treasury Sanctions previously established.

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday.
The seizure was the second to be revealed by South Korea within a few days, as the United Nations steps up efforts to squeeze essential oil supplies to the reclusive North following its nuclear or ballistic missile tests.

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Interesting discussion today between Senator Lindsey Graham and CBS journalist Major Garrett.  Senator Graham went through a myriad of issues, from his specific perspective, including: Iran (and current protests), North Korea (nukes), DACA, Robert Mueller and the Russian Dossier.

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