Sponsoring Terror

From the BBC:

"Trump declares North Korea 'sponsor of terror'"

President Trump has announced that the US is re-designating North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, nine years after it was removed from the list. In a cabinet meeting, he said the move would trigger "very large" additional sanctions to be announced on Tuesday. But Secretary of State Rex Tillerson later admitted that "the practical effects may be limited". Mr Trump blamed the country's nuclear programme, and support for what he called international acts of terrorism. While announcing the decision at the White House, the US president said it "should have happened a long time ago".  President Trump has announced that the US is re-designating North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, nine years after it was removed from the list.  Secretary Tillerson hasn't given up on a negotiated solution to the stand-off with North Korea.  He told journalists he still hoped for diplomacy. But the decision to put Pyongyang back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism will almost certainly set back the possibility of any opening for talks, at least in the short term.  The chances of that happening were slim anyway. And it might prompt a backlash from North Korea, perhaps by way of another missile test.  The Americans have had some success in getting other countries to tighten the noose on Pyongyang, including from China.  Mr Tillerson's goal remains to eventually force the regime to back down and agree to negotiations aimed at giving up its nuclear weapons programme, something Pyongyang has refused to do. China on the other hand, is pushing for talks now, alongside the pressure. It won't be happy about anything that makes that less likely  Speaking to reporters at a White House press briefing, Mr Tillerson, the top US diplomat, said the designation was meant to hold North Korea accountable for recent actions it has taken "including assassinations outside of their country" and "using banned chemical weapons". He admitted that given existing sanctions it was "very symbolic" but also said new measures could "disrupt and dissuade some third parties from undertaking certain activities with North Korea". "The practical effects may be limited but hopefully we're closing off a few loopholes with this," he said. Mr Kim continues to pursue nuclear weapons and missile programmes in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions.   He has made no secret of Pyongyang's plans to develop a missile capable of reaching the US mainland and has claimed to have developed a hydrogen bomb. Last month, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said that the threat of nuclear attack from North Korea was increasing.  Monday's announcement comes after the president returned from an extensive tour of Asia last week.  

^ It seems that only the US, South Korea and Japan are taking the North Korean threat seriously. I guess it must be hard for countries like: the UK (who are so confused with Brexit), Germany (who are so confused with who will run their country) and Russia (who is too busy fighting in Syria and the Ukraine) to pay attention to the rest of the world when they have their own issues. The United States has had to deal with their internal problems as well as external problems since the 1940s and the current North Korean crisis is no different. I wonder what the world would be like if other countries stopped thinking only of themselves and actually took an active role like the US has. I guess we will never know. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42058686