Bannon and Dunford Remarks Muddle U.S. Strategy for North Korea

The following article by Jane Perlez and Choe Shang-Hun was posted on the New York Times website August 16, 2017:

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, with President Xi Jinping of China in Beijing on Thursday. Credit Pool photo by Andy Wong

BEIJING — The Trump administration plunged America’s Asian alliances into new confusion Thursday with conflicting signals over how to counter North Korea’s nuclear threat, as the chief White House strategist said a military solution was impossible.

Three other leading officials of the administration — its top military general on a visit to China, and its defense secretary and secretary of state in Washington — effectively contradicted him, emphasizing that Mr. Trump was prepared to take military action if necessary.

The mixed messages about North Korea policy added to the sense of disarray coming from the White House, where Mr. Trump appeared to have all but forgotten the crisis a week after he threatened an ad hoc “fire and fury” response to North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, if he menaced the United States. Continue reading “Bannon and Dunford Remarks Muddle U.S. Strategy for North Korea”