Thread by @InvictaPartner5

1) A thread on Trump and North Korea. Take a moment to come to terms the historic announcement that took place yesterday. bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-…

2) How we began at the prospect of a nuclear capable North Korea, courtesy of President Clinton in 1994:

3) Donald Trump speaking on North Korea in 1999:

4) In January 2002 President Bush declared North Korea a part of the 'Axis of Evil' in his State of the Union Speech: economist.com/node/965664

5) In 2002, North Korea itself stated it had a nuclear weapons program: nytimes.com/2002/10/17/wor…

6) At the end of his term, President Bush still considered North Korea a serious security threat: reuters.com/article/us-bus…

7) President Obama in 2010 ordered the military to prepare and be ready in the face of North Korean aggression in the Korean peninsular: reuters.com/article/us-kor…

8) In 2014 President Obama once again warned North Korea that there would be consequences for its development and testing of nuclear technology: theguardian.com/world/2014/apr…

9) President Obama's policy towards North Korea became known as "strategic patience": foreignpolicy.com/2013/02/14/oba…

10) On the election campaign in 2016, Hillary Clinton desired a hawkish and aggressive stance to North Korea: nytimes.com/2016/09/10/us/…

11) After a missile test in May 2017, it is being said that President Trump's strategy with North Korea is failing: fortune.com/2017/05/15/nor…

12) In August 2017, North Korea became front and center when President Trump held a press conference and spoke of "Fire and Fury": nytimes.com/2017/08/08/wor…

13) Criticism remained of the policy and strategy for engagement: foreignpolicy.com/2017/09/05/tru…

14) Hillary Clinton weighed in with her opinion on how President Trump going about engagement in an ineffective manner with no plan:

15) As Secretary of State 2009-2013, the primary foreign policy of Hilary Clinton was the overthrow of Gaddafi in Libya, a personal crusade of hers. democracynow.org/2016/3/3/the_l…

16) Libya was part of a litany of disastrous decisions when Clinton was Secretary of State: nationalinterest.org/feature/hillar…

17) The migrant crisis has accelerated into recent years, with Libya acting as the focal point of entry into Europe. Today, slave markets flourish in Libya: usatoday.com/story/opinion/…

18) Those who have dug deeper suggested more cynical and nefarious motives for Libyan intervention: foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new…

19) Without going off on a tangent from North Korea, it is important to reflect that this was the alternative option presented in 2016:

20) More journalists offering their insight on Trump's failing North Korea strategy circa October 2017 (bookmark the name Nicholas Kristof, New York Times): nytimes.com/2017/10/12/opi…

21) Defense Secretary General Mattis, September 2017. Cryptically, he responded to a question of whether the US has secret weapons that could devastate North Korea without endangering Seoul. "Yes, there are, but I will not go into details," sputniknews.com/military/20170…

22) A huge weapons development, with very little media attention, September 2017: "Rods from God".

23) September 2017, Trump's speech at the United Nations, where he threatens to "totally destroy North Korea".

24) October 2017. Trump tweets declaratively.

25) The Workers Party of Korea was founded on October 10th. It was expected that the regime would do something dramatic. Nothing ever occurred on this date: news.com.au/world/october-…

26) What occurred on October 10th? A collapsed tunnel for the underground nuclear testing facility, the death toll exceeding 200: independent.co.uk/news/world/asi…

27) There is no concrete evidence of what caused the collapse in the North Korean facility. However, it is worth looking in detail at the destructive but targeted power of the "Rods from God". taskandpurpose.com/kinetic-bombar…

28) On his tour of Asia in November 2017, President tweeted this:

29) Whilst in Asia in November, when in China, this unprecedented action happened; President Trump became the first foreign leader to dine in the Forbbiden City: edition.cnn.com/2017/11/07/pol…

30) 2018, 2 days in: Trump tweets this:

31) Reaction from mainstream to the tweet from the mainstream media was frenzied:

32) As before, there was much criticism on the North Korea strategy, with Vox labeling it a shambles: vox.com/world/2017/12/…

33) The message from mainstream media outlets was pretty consistent throughout Trump’s Presidency thus far:

34) The Winter Olympics of 2018 commenced. This was hoped for but not expected: ft.com/content/9104c3…

35) The sister of Kim Jong Un attended, as one of the most high profile faces from the regime after their leader: theguardian.com/world/2018/feb…

36) It was then announced that the North Korea would start talks with the US: theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb…

37) The most high profile meeting to date of a delegation of North and South Koreans engaging in talks occurred soon after: reuters.com/article/us-nor…

38) This became one of the defining images thus far of recent talks:

39) Again, a reminder of the unexpected nature of events that have just taken place with Trump agreeing to meet Kim Jong Un and for North Korea to denuclearize, including those within the Trump White House, were caught off guard: edition.cnn.com/2018/03/08/pol…

40) Nicholas Christof, of the New York Times, rears his head again to give his analysis and insight in how this is a dangerous gamble, and how direct talks should only take place between seasoned diplomats: nytimes.com/2018/03/09/opi…

41) Trump tweets Friday 9th night: "The deal with North Korea is very much in the making and will be, if completed, a very good one for the World. Time and place to be determined." usnews.com/news/world/art…

42) From the above, it is irrefutable that the policies of President's Clinton, Bush, Obama were a failure in achieving any diplomatic and peaceful breakthrough. It is also reasonable to suggest that Hillary Clinton was a disaster in her tenure as Secretary of State.

43) Trump first spoke publicly about North Korea in 1999. Nearly 20 years later, he sits on the edge of denuclearization of North Korea, without any hostile foreign intervention, a consistent US policy since George HW Bush in Iraq in 1991.

44) Whether you infer that he simply stumbled his way to where 3 previous Presidents could not get within touching distance of. Or you conclude that his actions, from public controversy and spectacle, have served a strategic purpose to get to where we are today.

45) Will the meeting be a success? Some have asserted that this is a risky strategy, full of pitfalls that could end up failing: usatoday.com/story/news/pol…

46) To fall down line of thinking would be to miss the patterns of behaviour since Trump became President, and overlook Kim Jung Un offering to meet in the first place. For a summit like this, the agenda and even deal, would already have likely been completed in advance.

47) Will Trump succeed in what he purports to love doing and that he does best?

48) Not only is it likely that a deal will be made between the USA and North Korea; it is entirely plausible that one has already been made. We are simply waiting for the grand reveal.

49) With this in mind, consider this joke from Trump at the Gridiron charity dinner, March 3rd 2018, days before this huge week of news:

50) Ever thought Trump has been a serial troll to anyone and everyone? He has previous in this field; perhaps this time, the world will be soon be in on a joke that has been going on privately for some time: the last laugh being Trump achieving a nuclear free North Korea.

END.

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