by Hall Gardner
34. “The PKK's Fateful Choice in Northern Syria,” International Crisis Group, Report 176, May 4, 2017, https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/eastern-mediterranean/syria/176-pkk-s-fateful-choice-northern-syria (accessed October 30, 2017).
35. Chase Winter, “Iraq Sweeps Up More Territories as Kurds Quarrel amongst Themselves,” DW, October 17, 2017, http://www.dw.com/en/iraq-sweeps-up-more-territories-as-kurds-quarrel-amongst-themselves/a-40996992 (accessed November 15, 2017).
36. US policy has traditionally supported limited Israeli expansions into the West Bank, but in exchange for trade off of other lands with the Palestinians. John Podhoretz, “Media Gets Trump's Settlements Policy Wrong,” Commentary Magazine, February 3, 2017, https://www.commentarymagazine.com/foreign-policy/middle-east/israel/israel-settlements-media/ (accessed May 31, 2017).
37. Jack Khoury and Amir Tibon, “Jordan's King Warns Trump against Moving US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, State Media Reports,” Haaretz, February 2, 2017, http://www.haaretz.com/us-news/1.769266 (accessed May 31, 2017).
38. See for example, Stephen Walt, “Making the Middle East Worse, Trump-Style,” Foreign Policy, June 9, 2017, http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/09/making-the-middle-east-worse-trump-style-saudi-arabia-qatar-iran-israel/ (accessed November 15, 2017). See also Ibrahim Fraihat, “Why Saudi-Israeli Normalisation Could Be Dangerous,” Al Jazeera, November 19, 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/saudi-israeli-normalisation-dangerous-171119083143078.html (accessed November 22, 2017).
39. Lubna Masarwa and Arwa Ibrahim, “EXCLUSIVE: Abbas to Offer Large Land Swap with Israel in Trump Talks,” Middle East Eye, May 21, 2017, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/abbas-propose-unprecedented-land-exchange-israel-during-trump-visit-703500509 (accessed October 30, 2017).
40. See Hall Gardner, Averting Global War (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008).
41. Masarwa and Ibrahim, “Abbas to Offer Large Land Swap.”
42. For a skeptical view, see Harsh V. Pant, “The SCO Illusion Takes India: As India Joins the SCO, It Must Keep in Mind Certain Geopolitical Realities,” Diplomat, June 09, 2017, https://thediplomat.com/2017/06/the-sco-illusion-takes-india/ (accessed November 15, 2017).
43. India's trade with the members of the Eurasian Economic Union stands at about $10 billion. “India to Speed Up FTA with Eurasian Economic Union,” Hindu Business Line, February 28, 2017, http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/india-to-speed-up-fta-with-eurasian-economic-union/article9564225.ece (accessed November 15, 2017).
44. For a clear outline of seven different proposals to resolve the Kashmir question, thus indicating its complexity, see “The Future of Kashmir?” BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/south_asia/03/kashmir_future/html/7.stm (accessed October 30, 2017).
45. Srinagar, “India's Kashmir Problem Is Getting Worse,” Economist, May 25, 2017, http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21722666-shunning-separatists-will-not-make-it-better-indias-kashmir-problem-getting-worse (accessed October 30, 2017).
46. On May 6, 2016, Prime Minister Abe had traveled to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Sochi. As this was seen as breaking the G7's policy of isolating Russia in response to the 2014 annexation of Crimea, President Barack Obama purportedly phoned Abe in an effort to dissuade him from making the visit. James D. J. Brown, “Japan's ‘New Approach’ to Russia,” Diplomat, June 18, 2016, http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/japans-new-approach-to-russia/ (accessed October 30, 2017).
47. “Putin, Abe Agree on Joint Russia-Japan Activities on Kuril Islands,” RT, December 15 2016, https://www.rt.com/news/370452-putin-visits-japan-talks/ (accessed October 30, 2017). See also Hall Gardner, NATO Expansion and US Strategy in Asia (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2013).
48. Robin Harding in Tokyo and Kathrin Hille, “Russia and Japan Agree Economic Deal on Disputed Islands,” Financial Times, December 16, 2016, https://www.ft.com/content/1905fc24-c360-11e6-9bca-2b93a6856354 (accessed October 30, 2017).
49. Jennifer Jacobs and Andreo Calonzo, “Trump Offers to Play South China Sea Peacemaker as Trip Wraps Up,” Bloomberg, November 12, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-12/trump-offers-to-broker-deal-to-resolve-south-china-sea-dispute (accessed November 15, 2017).
50. Office of US Trade Representative, “U.S. -Korea Free Trade Agreement,” Office of the United States Trade Representative, https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/korus-fta (accessed November 15, 2017).
51. For timeline of diplomacy dealing with North Korea, see Wikipedia, s.v. “Timeline of the North Korean Nuclear Program,” last edited October 17, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_North_Korean_nuclear_program (accessed October 30, 2017).
52. Ben Kamisar, “Trump Praises China for Abstaining from UN Vote,” Hill, April 12, 2017, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/328573-trump-praises-china-for-abstaining-from-un-vote (accessed May 31, 2017).
53. Sam Nunn, “Former Senator Sam Nunn on CNN re: North Korea,” interview by Wolf Blitzer, Nuclear Threat Initiative, April 25, 2017, http://www.nti.org/newsroom/news/former-senator-sam-nunn-cnn-re-north-korea-interview-wolf-blitzer/ (accessed May 31, 2017).
54. “China Warns Conflict Could Erupt ‘Any Moment’ over North Korea,” South China Morning Post, April 14, 2017, http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2087726/conflict-could-break-out-any-moment-over-north-korea (accessed May 31, 2017).
55. Anna Fifield and Simon Denyer, “North Korea Shows off New Missiles in Huge Military Parade, but Doesn't Test Nuke,” Washington Post, April 15, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/north-korea-blames-trump-and-hisaggressive-tweets-for-tensions/2017/04/14/6932c9aa-20e1-11e7-bcd6-6d1286bc177d_story.html?utm_term=.bc5ea434be8f (accessed May 31, 2017).
56. “The way you are going to make a good trade deal is to help us with North Korea. Otherwise, we are just going to go it alone, but going it alone means going at it with a lot of other nations. President Xi, I think he means well and I think he wants to help. We'll see whether or not he does.” Alex Lockie, “Trump Says He Put Economic Pressure on China's President to Help with North Korea,” Business Insider, April 12, 2017, http://www.businessinsider.fr/us/trump-trade-pressure-north-korea-china-2017-4/ (accessed October 30, 2017).
57. Secretary of Defense James Mattis was said to be opposed to deploying tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea. Robert Burns, “James Mattis: North Korea Has ‘Accelerated’ Threat of Nuclear Attack,” Time, October 28, 2017, http://time.com/5001305/james-mattis-north-korea-acclerated-nuclear-threat/ (accessed November 15, 2017).
58. “Donald Trump's South Korea Speech: The Key Points,” Guardian, November 8, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/08/donald-trumps-south-korea-speech-key-points-kim-jong-un (accessed November 15, 2017).
59. Staff, “China Cautions against Use of Force on North Korea,” Reuters, April 28, 2017, http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-northkorea-usa-un-china-idUKKBN17U29C?il=0 (accessed October 30, 2017).
60. AFP, “North Korea Fires Another Missile, Trump Tweets His Anger,” TheJournal, April 29, 2017, http://www.thejournal.ie/north-korea-trump-2-3365580-Apr2017/ (accessed May 31, 2017).
61. Barbara Plett Usher, “North Korea: US Not Seeking Regime Change, Says Rex Tillerson,” BBC, August 2, 2017, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40797613 (accessed November 15, 2017).
62. Nick Wadhams, “Tillerson Says He Envisions US-North Korea Talks,” Bloomberg, November 10, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-10/tillerson-sees-u-s-north-korea-agreeing-to-start-conversation (accessed November 15, 2017).
63. Nunn, “Former Senator Sam Nunn,” interview by Wolf Blitzer.
64. Steve Holland, Stephen J. Adler, and Jeff Mason, “Exclusive: Trump Says ‘Major, Major’ Conflict with North Korea Possible, but Seeks Diplomacy,” Reuters, April 27, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-exclusive-idUSKBN17U04E (accessed May 31, 2017).
65. Matthew Little, “China ‘Unequivocal’ on N
orth Korea Not Getting Nuclear Weapons: Tillerson, Trump and Xi Affirm Position on North Korea during State Visit,” Epoch Times, November 9, 2017, https://www.theepochtimes.com/china-unequivicol-on-north-korea-not-getting-nuclear-weapons-tillerson_2353648.html (accessed November 15, 2017).
66. See Gardner, Averting Global War. See also proposals of Rajan Menon, “What Would War Mean in Korea?” TomDispatch, June 4, 2017, http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176291/tomgram%3A_rajan_menon%2C_what_would_war_mean_in_korea/ (accessed October 30, 2017).
67. Eleanor Albert, “North Korea's Military Capabilities,” Council of Foreign Relations, September 5, 2017, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/north-koreas-military-capabilities (accessed November 15, 2017).
68. Holland, Adler, and Mason, “Trump Says ‘Major, Major’ Conflict.”
69. Bruce Cumings, “Korea: Forgotten Nuclear Threats,” Le Monde Diplomatique, December 2004, http://mondediplo.com/2004/12/08korea (accessed October 30, 2017). While the US has blamed Soviet- and Chinese-backed North Korea for initiating the Korean War, the security forces of the US-backed government of President Syngman Rhee (1948–1960) were responsible for killing more than 100,000 people, which included between 30,000 to 60,000 in the infamous 1948 Cheju massacre alone, in an effort to eradicate left-wing opposition in the country. Menon, “What Would War Mean in Korea?” The US needs to dialogue with the North Korean regime whether Washington likes it or not!
CHAPTER 10: DEFUSING THE GLOBAL CRISIS
1. Mikhail Gorbachev, “It All Looks as If the World Is Preparing for War,” Time Magazine, January 26, 2017, http://time.com/4645442/gorbachev-putin-trump/ (accessed October 30, 2017).
2. Julian Borger, “America's New, More ‘Usable,’ Nuclear Bomb in Europe,” Guardian, November 10, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/julian-borger-global-security-blog/2015/nov/10/americas-new-more-usable-nuclear-bomb-in-europe (accessed November 15, 2017).
3. Gregory Kulacki, China's Military Calls for Putting Its Nuclear Forces on Alert (Cambridge, MA: Union of Concerned Scientists, 2016), http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/us-china-relations/china-hair-trigger#.WNuCRWSGNwc (accessed October 30, 2017).
4. In 2010, the NATO foreign ministers agreed that “no nuclear weapons would be removed from Europe unless all 28-member states of NATO agreed.” Amy F. Woolf, Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, February 21, 2017), https://fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL32572.pdf (accessed October 30, 2017). See also Ernie Regehr, Canadian Defence Policy and NATO's Nuclear Weapons (Vancouver: Simons Foundation, August 23, 2016), http://www.thesimonsfoundation.ca/sites/default/files/Canadian%20Defence%20Policy%20and%20NATO%E2%80%99s%20Nuclear%20Weapons%2C%20Defence%20Policy%20Review%20briefing%20paper%20-%20Aug%2023%2C%202016.pdf (accessed October 30, 2017).
5. Hall Gardner, NATO Expansion and US Strategy in Asia (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2013).
6. Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Department for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations, 2000), http://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2005/npttreaty.html (accessed October 30, 2017). Article VI: Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.
7. Katrina vanden Heuvel, “The Escalating Nuclear Threat Finally Has the Public's Attention,” Washington Post, October 24, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-escalating-nuclear-threat-finally-has-the-publics-attention-now-what/2017/10/24/504fd5c4-b80b-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?tid=ss_mail&utm_term=.bf695991b73c (accessed November 15, 2017).
8. James Pomfret, Neil Jerome Morales, “South China Sea Code of Conduct Talks to Be ‘Stabilizer’ for Region: China Premier,” Reuters, November 14, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-asean-summit-southchinasea/south-china-sea-code-of-conduct-talks-to-be-stabilizer-for-region-china-premier-idUSKBN1DE05K?il=0 (accessed November 16, 2017). But Beijing's promise does not touch the larger questions of North Korea and rivalries between China, Taiwan, and Japan.
9. Martin Kettle, “The World's Powers Have to Resolve Their Remnants of Empire,” Guardian, December 23, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/23/post-imperial-territories (accessed October 30, 2017).
10. See Will Fitzgibbon and Scilla Alecci, “Paradise Papers Firm Managed Millions for a Carousel of Millionaires and Fraudsters,” International Consortium of Investigative Journalism, November 15, 2017, https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/ (accessed November 15, 2017).
11. Dean Baker, “A Job-Killing Robot for Rich People,” Jacobin, June 27, 2017, https://jacobinmag.com/2017/06/financial-transactions-tax-finance-inequality-bernie-sanders?cn=cmV0d2VldA== UN (accessed October 30, 2017). “Goal 10: Reduce Inequality within and among Countries,” United Nations, http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/inequality/ (accessed October 30, 2017).
12. Lesley Wroughton, “G20 Fails to Endorse Financial Transaction Tax,” Reuters, November 4, 2011, http://www.reuters.com/article/g20-tax-idUSN1E7A302520111104 (accessed October 30, 2017).
13. Jennifer Epstein and Mark Niquette, “Trump Wants $200 Billion for Infrastructure, Mulvaney Says,” Bloomberg, April 20, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-20/trump-wants-200-billion-for-infrastructure-mulvaney-says (accessed May 26, 2017); Adie Tomer, Joseph Kane, and Robert Puentes, “How Historic Would a $1 Trillion Infrastructure Program Be?” Brookings Institution, May 12, 2017, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2017/05/12/how-historic-would-a-1-trillion-infrastructure-program-be/?utm_campaign=Brookings%20Brief&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=51917420 (accessed May 26, 2017).
14. John Wagner, “Trump Re-Ups Criticism of United Nations, Saying It's Causing Problems, Not Solving Them,” Washington Post, December 28, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/12/28/trump-re-ups-criticism-of-united-nations-saying-its-causing-problems-not-solving-them/?utm_term=.85d14cebfef3 (accessed May 31, 2017).
15. Robert Schroeder, “U.S. Drops Out of UNESCO over Arrears, ‘Anti-Israel Bias,’” MarketWatch, Oct 12, 2017, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-drops-out-of-unesco-over-arrears-anti-israel-bias-2017-10-12 (accessed November 15, 2017).
16. “Financing Peacekeeping,” United Nations, http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/operations/financing.shtml (accessed October 30, 2017). Percentages of costs: The US and its allies: United States (28.57 %); Japan (9.68 %); Germany (6.39 %); France (6.31 %); United Kingdom (5.80 %); Italy (3.75 %); Canada (2.92 %); Spain (2.44 %); Russia and China: Russian Federation (4.01 %); China (10.29 %).
17. Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and US Relations (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, July 24, 2015–February 27, 2017), https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R43166.html (accessed October 30, 2017).
18. Sarah N. Lynch, “SEC Halts Some Enforcement of Conflict Minerals Rule amid Review,” Reuters, April 7, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-sec-conflictminerals/sec-halts-some-enforcement-of-conflict-minerals-rule-amid-review-idUSKBN1792WX (accessed November 15, 2017). Michael S. Piwowar, “Reconsideration of Conflict Minerals Rule Implementation,” (public statement; Washington, DC: US Securities and Exchange Commission, January 31, 2017), https://www.sec.gov/news/statement/reconsideration-of-conflict-minerals-rule-implementation.html (accessed October 30, 2017); for opposing views see: “Implementation of US Dodd-Frank Act Rule on Conflict Minerals: Commentaries, Guidance, Company Actions,” Business and Human Rights Resource Center, https://business-humanrights.org/en/conflict-peace/conflict-minerals/implementation-of-us-dodd-frank-act-rule-on-conflict-minerals-commentaries-guidance-company-actions (accessed October 30, 2017).
19. In 2006, the US Senate passed the S. 2125, the Democratic Republic of Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act. See Pub. L. 109-456 (December 22, 2006). This legislation had concluded that disease, war, and desperate
poverty in Africa threatens both the United States’ core value of preserving human dignity and the United States’ strategic priority of combating global terror. The legislation accordingly committed the United States to work toward peace, prosperity, and good governance in the Congo. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Release No. 34-67716; File No. S7-40-10: Conflict Minerals,” https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/2012/34-67716.pdf (accessed November 2, 2017).
20. Lynch, “SEC Halts Some Enforcement of Conflict Minerals Rule amid Review.”
21. On the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), see https://monusco.unmissions.org/en (accessed November 15, 2017).
22. John Calvelli, “Only Transparency Can Prevent Conflict Minerals from Harming People and Wildlife,” Hill, April 18, 2017, http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/329347-only-transparency-can-prevent-conflict-minerals-from (accessed October 30, 2017).
23. Conflict Minerals and the Democratic Republic of Congo: Responsible Action in Supply Chains, Government Engagement and Capacity Building (Washington, DC: Business for Social Responsibility, May 2010), https://www.bsr.org/reports/BSR_Conflict_Minerals_and_the_DRC.pdf (accessed October 30, 2017); Tomi Oladipo, “The UN's Peacekeeping Nightmare in Africa,” BBC News, January 5, 2017, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38372614 (accessed October 30, 2017).
24. In 2007, the United States was spending some $4.5 billion per month to support its military operations in Iraq. This was about the same as the United Nations spent to run all eighteen of its current peacekeeping missions for a year. See James Dobbins, “A Comparative Evaluation of United Nations Peacekeeping,” testimony presented before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight, June 13, 2007, https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/testimonies/2007/RAND_CT284.pdf (accessed November 15, 2017).