North Korea

The threat that Donald Trump made at the United Nations to “totally destroy” North Korea should not be dismissed, not least because in the early 1950s another US president, Harry Truman, actually did destroy North Korea. Moreover, the destruction of the country was carried out with the full support of the UN, indeed on behalf of the UN.

US aerial bombardment literally laid the country waste. This crime was perpetrated when there was a sensible moderate Democrat in the White House rather than a pathological right wing narcissist.

North Korea’s latest ballistic missile tests prompted US president Donald Trump to respond with threats of “fire and fury”. The heightened state of tension in the Korean peninsula is unlikely to lead to an immediate war. However, it is certain to add to the instability in the region, at the root of which lies growing rivalry and bickering among imperialist powers.

On 30 March, North Korea even announced that "inter-Korean relations are in a state of war" and later claimed that it would restart its suspended nuclear enrichment facility at Yongbyon. Many commentators have also speculated that North Korea would launch a ballistic missile or carry out a fourth nuclear test.

At the end of November, North Korea fired artillery shells into Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea, killing four people, including two innocent civilians. It is claimed that South Korea retaliated with its own artillery, resulting in major damage to North Korea. A North Korean broadcast reported, "The enemy fired artillery shells indiscriminately, even to residential areas."