Profile picture
Jeet Heer @HeerJeet
, 11 tweets, 2 min read Read on Twitter
1. This is worrisome.
2. This is worrisome.
3. There is a real, non-zero chance that Trump could blunder into an apocalyptic war in Asia. We shouldn't panic -- it's still unlikely -- but we have to take it seriously & think about stopping it.
4. Best case scenario is Trump's bluster is just bluster & North Koreans know it. They dismiss him as a bullshit artist & status quo remains.
5. The danger is that the bluster gets misinterpreted as a imminent threat. Making that more likely is USA under Trump has very weak diplomatic capabilities.
6. Tillerson is a toadstool & State Dept is in disarray. USA has no ambassador in South Korea. Trump leans heavily on military men who, whatever other qualities they have, are not diplomats. In a stand off, things could get hairy.
7. My guess is South Korean gov'ts rift with USA & openness to talks with North Korea is fuelled in part by wanting to stave off worst case scenario & to compensate for weakness of USA diplomacy.
8. But aside from South Korean gov't, one other body can act as a check on Trump's blundering: congress.
9. Obviously GOP congress hasn't been doing a great job of checking Trump (although Corker's WWIII warnings a sign that even some of them are concerned).
10. If Dems win in fall, especially if (unlikely but possible) they win Senate, they can offer a real check to Trump's foreign policy.
11. Congress actually has a lot of potential power to hamstring a president. Since Pearl Harbor it has been reluctant to use that. This might be the moment to challenge the imperial presidency.
Missing some Tweet in this thread?
You can try to force a refresh.


Subscribe to Jeet Heer
Profile picture


This content may be removed anytime!


Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video




Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


Become a Premium Member and get exclusive features!



Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!