Trump at the UN

[Mayhem]

I know exactly what a Pew research is. However, those pictures posted still don't explain why Trump is "The laughing stock of the world" With that said, do those people in the poll just disagree with certain things about Trump policy's? Do they actually find him to be repulsive? Also. what makes someone like Trump the embodiment of the "Laughing Stock of the World" in regards to this poll? Does the same definition apply to all those who participated in the poll? Does it mean that if they don't agree with his policies like the travel ban it makes him 'The laughing stock of the world?"

Does that make sense for you now or do I need to explain it a little bit better so you can understand this simple concept?

He's the laughing stock of the world because of what he says and how he says it. Also what policies are you talking about?

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Counterargument though:
The current deterrent against any practical military intervention has nothing to do with nuclear weapons but the massive amount of conventional weapons withing striking distance of Seoul. On the other hand the major point of contention and international hostility directed towards North Korea is the development of nuclear weapons. So if your country already has a practical deterrent and the major point of contention about any possible future attack is a secondary and redundant deterrent, why mess around with the second one. The international community would be much more willing to leave North Korea alone if they gave that up, but they stubbornly insist on doing the one thing guaranteed to piss everybody off.

That's on them.

Good point, on the other hand, how easy is it for you to trust your enemies to do nothing because you're holding their allies hostile but are no direct threat to them?

[Breccia]

It seems like Trump is about to back out of the Iran nuclear deal.

Trump said he made a decision, but refused to say what it was. "I'll let you know what the decision is" was his response when flat-out asked.

Now, we've seen this before.
A) When candidate Trump was in Mexico, talking with the Mexican govt and its people, he refused to talk about the Wall, even when directly asked by both. Hours later, back in a campaign rally, he went right back to "Mexico will pay for the Wall". Incidentally, hasn't worked out, has it?
B) When basically everyone in AZ told him not to pardon Arpaio, Trump gave a campaign rally and said Arpaio should "feel good". Then, shortly after fleeing the state, he pardoned Arpaio during a hurricane.
C) When Trump was asked point-blank about Bannon's future three days before Trump fired Bannon, Trump refused to commit to an answer.
D) Trump said he loved and cared for the DREAMers on Sept 1st during another press conference. He evicted them all the 5th.
E) And of course, there's Trump pretending he was waiting for Sessions and Rosenstein to tell him to fire Comey. Mueller is now holding proof of the opposite.

Trump is a coward, afraid to stick to his guns when outnumbered or surrounded, even by people he talks tough about to his rabid fanbase -- Mexico and the press. He loves praise, but can't handle criticism. So when he's at the UN, surrounded by people who like the Iran Nuclear deal, and who point out repeatedly that Iran's done their side of the bargain -- Russia and France, for example -- the only logical conclusion is that Trump's decision isn't with them. If so, he'd have agreed openly already, smiled for the cameras, and shaken a bunch of hands. That hasn't happened. But he's too craven to say he will end the deal while face to face with France, Russia, Iran, and the rest of the world for that matter. (Same thing, he mentioned Ukraine and the South China Sea but didn't call out Russia or China directly in his speech)

The average time between the passive "we'll see" that Trump uses to pretend his decisions aren't his own, and him revealing the decision he'd made all along, is under three days.

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Addendum: Axios reports Tillerson also said Trump has made up his mind, but would not tell the public or world leaders yet.

"I think it's pretty difficult to say that the expectations of the parties who negotiated this agreement have been met. Perhaps the technical aspects have but in the broader context the aspiration has not."

This sounds like someone giving an excuse to end the deal to me.

[Melius]

ah the UN, a fundamentally symbolic organization founded on the principles of high minded rhetoric and empty gestures.

[Enthusiastic Steward]

Good point, on the other hand, how easy is it for you to trust your enemies to do nothing because you're holding their allies hostile but are no direct threat to them?

But how would nuclear weapons alleviate that? The only factor you change is whether or not you would be considered a direct threat to your enemies. If you move from indirect to direct threat, does that make your enemies more or less likely to act against you? And also the basic practical matter: You would be happy to have a nuclear arsenal of maybe a dozen long-range warheads. Your enemy has thousands.

[Mayhem]

But how would nuclear weapons alleviate that? The only factor you change is whether or not you would be considered a direct threat to your enemies. If you move from indirect to direct threat, does that make your enemies more or less likely to act against you? And also the basic practical matter: You would be happy to have a nuclear arsenal of maybe a dozen long-range warheads. Your enemy has thousands.

That you're in a fucked up position doesn't change anyhow. You are a direct threat to one of your enemies anyway, being a direct threat to their allies makes them maybe less likely to attack you if the alliance with the one you were always a direct threat to would be disbanded.

"Shoot the hostage" isn't a viable solution anymore if you're next in line to be held hostage.

[Enthusiastic Steward]

That you're in a fucked up position doesn't change anyhow. You are a direct threat to one of your enemies anyway, being a direct threat to their allies makes them maybe less likely to attack you if the alliance with the one you were always a direct threat to would be disbanded.

"Shoot the hostage" isn't a viable solution anymore if you're next in line to be held hostage.

Maybe. Maybe moving from an indirect to direct threat prompts the much more powerful of your enemies to take action as the threat to them is now more immediate and they feel more compelled to take risky action than they otherwise would have. You have changed nothing other than increased the potential danger to yourself. This beyond the fact that any nuclear weapons North Korea possesses are purely decorative. If North Korea were to strike first with a nuclear weapon the country would be utterly destroyed by the retaliation. If North Korea is firing as a last resort than the country has already been attacked, firing off a nuclear strike won't change the fact that another nation weighed the cost/benefit analysis and decided to take military action (likely prompted by the possession of nuclear weapons in the first place) and certainly won't make the attacker stop and go "Wait, oh that's right, nevermind then!"

Due to their choices North Korea is, as you noted, in a no-win scenario pretty much either way on this one. The only difference is that I would argue possessing nuclear weapons changes nothing other than increasing, not decreasing, the probability of action being taken against you as more (and more powerful) enemies feel more directly threatened than indirectly. As I said, Seoul is already in the crosshairs for massive loss of civilian life. A nuclear weapon changes nothing in that regard, and given the proximity (and value in any war game scenario) Seoul is a poor target. The US is currently not under that threat. If we suddenly are threatened, I think the probability of acting on it goes up, not down.
Especially with the notably calm and restrained occupant of the Oval Office.

[Breccia]

Once again, North Korea launches a long-range troll missile at the White House.

North Korea's Foreign Minister says he 'feels sorry' for Donald Trump's aides

North Korea's foreign minister has said he feels “sorry” for Donald Trump’s aides.

Speaking on the sides of the United Nations general assembly in New York, Ri Yong-ho also compared the US President's threats against his country as the equivalent of a "dog barking".

His comments followed Mr Trump's description of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un as a "Rocket Man on a suicide mission".

After first using the name in a tweet, Mr Trump invoked it again during his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

The US leader's description was backed by members of his administrations including his National Security Adviser HR McMaster, who said the title made sense, because North Korea is “where the rockets are coming from”.

America’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the nickname “worked” because other countries now use it.

But Mr Ri had a different take.

“I feel sorry for his aides”, he said, according to South Korea's Yonhap News agency.

He added: "If he was thinking he could scare us with the sound of a dog barking, that's really a dog dream."

North Korea has stepped up its testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles over the past year. Earlier this month, the secretive communist state said it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb in its sixth nuclear test.

It has regularly taunted the American president as the two nations engage in an escalating war of words over the north’s nuclear-powered defiance, referring to Mr Trump in August as “bereft of reason”.

[-Joker-]

Maybe because your country build it's power on strong alliance and being respected buy most other " Western" country... I mean not that I care but your country is losing it's influence fucking fast...

Personally, I hope we lose our temper faster than our influence. Cause honestly, I think the world is overdue for seeing just how much we can't be pushed over. We had a weak moment in 2001 when some radicals jacked some planes and attempted to bring the country to its knees. We now have a loose canon in the white house, so part of me wants Korea to test him and see just how far we'll go this time. I can almost promise it won't be a long cold war that sparks a tv show this time. It will be a "push button" and wait 40 years for the air to clear. Hopefully Kim Jong-fool realizes that and stops showing his ass.

[Breccia]

Just now, Trump met the President of Afghanistan, and promised to increase US military presence there.

He then answered one question, saying he was going to increase sanctions on North Korea.

EDIT: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-no...-idUSKCN1BW1ZZ has more info.

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And here's Ukraine coming out of a closed-door meeting with Trump saying they have a "shared vision" about defense cooperation. Nothing specific, like arms deals.

Russia, I hope you saved the receipt. I think the man you bought isn't doing the job that was advertised.

[Pannonian]

Once again, North Korea launches a long-range troll missile at the White House.

North Korea's Foreign Minister says he 'feels sorry' for Donald Trump's aides

Countering bullshit rhetoric with snarky comments. Is it just me or does NK suddenly seems to be the more coherent part?

[Breccia]

Countering bullshit rhetoric with snarky comments. Is it just me or does NK suddenly seems to be the more coherent part?

If you follow the logic that North Korea was never going to unilaterally attack the US or its allies first, then yes, their plan is more coherent. Trump gets to act all flustered and IMPOTUS as he's afraid to challenge Russia or China, and North Korea holds parades and calls Trump a barking dog.

[zorkuus]

Countering bullshit rhetoric with snarky comments. Is it just me or does NK suddenly seems to be the more coherent part?

NK has always been more coherent than Trump. They might be "a bit odd" but I'm sure they aren't mental midgets like Donny boy.

[-Joker-]

I hope "you" get taught a lesson.

I welcome anyone brave enough to knock on my door with an instructor's manual. I will gladly answer with my flag in one arm and my Mossberg in the other.

[Attackrabbit]

I welcome anyone brave enough to knock on my door with an instructor's manual. I will gladly answer with my flag in one arm and my Mossberg in the other.

Address and plane tickets please

[Breccia]

So Trump comes back to the White House and immediately remembers that his Muslim Ban is about to expire, so he hastily writes another one.

So um...how 'bout that extreme vetting? That was the point, right? A temporary Muslim Ban until extreme vetting could be put into place? Wasn't that supposed to happen?

[Edge-]

So Trump comes back to the White House and immediately remembers that his Muslim Ban is about to expire, so he hastily writes another one.

So um...how 'bout that extreme vetting? That was the point, right? A temporary Muslim Ban until extreme vetting could be put into place? Wasn't that supposed to happen?

They're still searching for some XTREME 90's kids to help them out with that, I imagine.

[Orange Joe]

If you can show me evidence(not claims from people like the poster) that Trump is the laughing stock of the world then I'll answer your question.

Tell me how anyone but a laughing stock would bother to get into a dick measuring contest with Kim-jong-un