If he were any other president, Trump's statement that "all options are on the table" (an unfortunate though widely-accepted code word for a military strike) plus his statement that "talking is not the answer" would lead to the clear conclusion that the U.S. is about to attack North Korea.
But this isn't any other president, this is Donald Trump, a guy whose statements are mostly meaningless other than as an effort to gin up fleeting gains to his perceived popularity. The fact that his statements, if taken literally, add up to only one policy conclusion does not matter. Trump is always just full of shit. The wide consensus (shared even by the likes of Steve Bannon) that a military strike will make things worse) will constrain the president. Even though he is an ignoramus who likes to "shoot from the hip" (i.e. make incredibly dumb impulsive decisions), his behavior is affected by the spin of those around him, and the limits on the information they feed him. So if I had to bet, I would say a U.S. attack on North Korea is still unlikely.
Then again, Trump is unpredictable. The fact that an attack would be a complete disaster for the people in both Koreas, Japan, and probably other places, would deal a possibly fatal blow to U.S. credibility and would have enormous negative economic ramifications only matters to the extent Trump's deplorable advisers are able to spin him in a different direction.
But this isn't any other president, this is Donald Trump, a guy whose statements are mostly meaningless other than as an effort to gin up fleeting gains to his perceived popularity. The fact that his statements, if taken literally, add up to only one policy conclusion does not matter. Trump is always just full of shit. The wide consensus (shared even by the likes of Steve Bannon) that a military strike will make things worse) will constrain the president. Even though he is an ignoramus who likes to "shoot from the hip" (i.e. make incredibly dumb impulsive decisions), his behavior is affected by the spin of those around him, and the limits on the information they feed him. So if I had to bet, I would say a U.S. attack on North Korea is still unlikely.
Then again, Trump is unpredictable. The fact that an attack would be a complete disaster for the people in both Koreas, Japan, and probably other places, would deal a possibly fatal blow to U.S. credibility and would have enormous negative economic ramifications only matters to the extent Trump's deplorable advisers are able to spin him in a different direction.
