Aug 5, 2018 8 min read

Referencing her July 22 letter to the Observer-Reporter, I would suggest that Carla Mazurik reconsider her obvious naivete in apparently seeing nothing wrong with the Trump administration’s silence, after one-on-one meetings between sworn enemies of the United States and our current president, with only translators present. This much we know, whether we live in Washington, Waynesburg or anywhere else in the world. If one is to believe our own intelligence agencies – and I do – post-summit North Korea continues work unabated on its nuclear capabilities. The so-called agreement, signed by Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, lacks any specifics and is nothing more than a list of vague generalities. The two sides could not even agree on what the term “denuclearization” means. To sweeten the “no deal,” Trump canceled regular defensive military exercises held jointly by the United States and South Korea. Not only did Trump neglect to consult, let alone notify, our ally, the government in Seoul, of his actions in advance, he labeled these drills as “provocative,” a term only previously used by the North Korean propaganda machine.

The ink on the signatures was barely dry before the North Korean regime characterized the Trump administration as “gangsters.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was unsuccessful in seeking further clarification of their murky agreement when he traveled to Pyongyang a week later. He was supposed to meet Kim for additional talks that never materialized. To Trump’s singular credit, Chairman Kim recently turned over 55 wooden boxes containing the remains of American soldiers killed in the Korean War 65 years ago. More than 7,800 Americans remain unaccounted for in that conflict. Of that number, 5,300 are presumed to be in North Korea. A beginning? Certainly. Enough? For waiting families over almost seven decades, definitely not.

Trump takes particular delight in reminding the American people about the past failures of presidents like Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama in dealing with North Korea. But what tangible success has he achieved? Merriam-Webster defines “played” as ” taken advantage of.” We know what Kim Jong Un got from the Singapore summit. The world watched as he stood as an equal with the POTUS. Along with that image came newfound but hardly deserved respectability for someone who starves his people, kills or imprisons his opponents, and has consistently threatened the continental United States with nuclear destruction. No significant efforts are being made, or even planned by the North Koreans, to verify what weapons they have, where they are hidden or when a program for their destruction will begin.

The president assures us that now there is “no longer a nuclear threat” to the United States from the Korean peninsula. On what basis does he make that assertion? On the personal chemistry between him and a ruthless dictator? I wonder how much or how little American government officials or our allies actually know of the Trump-Kim private conversations. Let’s hope it is a whole lot more than they do about the most recent Trump-Putin tete-a-tete. Only Sean Hannity, the Fox & Friends crew and maybe a few other Trump defenders would dispute that the Helsinki meeting was a diplomatic disaster for the United States. At a post-summit press conference, with Vladimir Putin grinning from ear to ear, Trump essentially threw our intelligence professionals under the bus, and seemed to side with Putin’s lies on election meddling. A few days and much criticism later, “would have” became “wouldn’t have.” This was a confusing retraction that could only make sense to Bill Clinton and his definition of “is” in the Lewinsky scandal.

Trump’s own portrayal of Putin’s desire to extradite former U.S. ambassador Michael McFaul to Russia for interrogation as part of “an incredible offer” speaks for itself. When the State Department said no way, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Putin was “sincere” in his motives. I guess if Trump can call Kim Jong Un “an honorable man,” it makes sense in Trump world. The 45th president’s tweet about inviting Putin to the White House this fall caught key American officials, our allies, and even Trump aides by surprise. They included Pompeo, John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, as well as Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence. Although on hold for now, a second get-together might take place in Moscow rather than in Washington, D.C.

To date, many important vacancies in the State Department remain unfilled. Only shortly before the Singapore summit was a U.S. ambassador to South Korea finally sent to Seoul. A real estate developer, no matter how skillful, is not a diplomat. Not long ago, his aides had to educate Trump that the Korean War had never officially ended. An armistice stopped the fighting in 1953 but no peace treaty was ever signed. Rather than spend his final days before the Helsinki summit in rigorous preparation for the meeting with Putin, Trump chose instead to play golf in Scotland. Mazurik would like to convince us that, because we are kept in the dark when it comes to matters of national security, it’s all good. Sorry, but I won’t drink that Kool-Aid. She may trust Trump, but I put greater faith in what our intelligence services and law enforcement agencies tell us. It is indeed shameful, as well as harmful to the security of the American people, that Trump continues his campaign of verbal and twitter assaults on these dedicated experts, calling their veracity into question and trying to discredit the work they do. Maybe we should just ask the Russian Foreign Ministry what was discussed in Helsinki, as they are now alluding to secret agreements made between Trump and Putin during their talks. This was a spymaster’s dream with champagne corks popping when Putin returned to the Kremlin from Finland.

At the very least, Trump owes the American people an honest explanation of what took place at these summits and what agreements, if any, were reached. Even the regular Trump cheerleaders at Fox News seemed none too pleased with his performances at the summits. Since regularly scheduled presidential news conferences have disappeared, and regular White House daily press briefings are no longer held, we may well be waiting for a very long time. Meanwhile, the silence of Trump’s Republican majority enablers in Congress is deafening. When will they finally stand up to this president and exert their constitutional oversight powers when it comes to national security and international diplomacy?

Further, Trump’s inexplicable affinity for the world’s tyrants should trouble all Americans. He easily scorns and scolds the leadership of the free world while dishing out compliments to autocratic rulers in China, Turkey, the Philippines, Russia, North Korea and Egypt, to name a few. As we are a nation with an all-volunteer military to protect us constituting barely 1 percent of our population, it must be incumbent on this commander-in-chief to maintain our global presence, to deter our enemies and to support and strengthen our friends abroad.

Under Trump, America continues its dangerous retreat from the world stage, including from the Asia-Pacific region, in the face of aggressive Chinese expansionism, and the virtual handing over of Syria on a silver platter to Russia in the Middle East. While quietly nodding acceptance of Putin’s illegal occupation of Crimea, and ignoring continued Russian threats against Ukraine and the Baltic States, Trump much prefers hinting that protecting countries like Montenegro, a NATO ally, from Russian foul play might not be worth the trouble, the cost, or the risk. So one wonders which other countries in Eastern Europe might also be just as expendable in Trump’s head? Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia come to mind for starters.

These are indeed perilous times. Putin seeks nothing less than the restoration of Russian influence and power in the world, which currently includes the breakup of the NATO alliance and the European Union on his bucket list. He waxes nostalgic for the glory days of the old post World War II Soviet empire and his work as a KGB colonel during the height of the Cold War. What we don’t need is an American presidential sycophant to help him achieve his goals. Putin is not a “competitor” but rather a true enemy of the United States who can smell weakness like a bloodhound.

After nearly 19 months in office, we are sliding into unwinnable and costly trade wars that could take this country into a devastating economic recession or possible collapse similar to 2008. What we desperately need is a president who is up to the task. Thus far, that leader has not been Trump and his wrecking ball approach to foreign policy.

Carl Haberl is a retired teacher and resident of Washington.