To The Reader’s Forum:

Recently, a “tabletop exercise” was reportedly held in Hawaii for several days to help prepare in the case of a potential order to strike the Korean Peninsula. Mr. Trump has on several occasions stated that he would act preemptively if he felt the need and that he would unleash “fire and fury” on North Korea.

Under what authority?

In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Trump warned the US would “totally destroy North Korea” if forced to defend itself or its allies. This would be a constitutional action if it was a response to attacks by North Korea on us or our allies. Our treaty obligations would require it. However, a unilateral attack on a sovereign nation would not. North Korea is a threat, one of many we face, but they have not as yet attacked us or our allies so a preemptive attack would violate both the Constitution and international law.

Trump must not be allowed to start a war without, at least, the authorization of Congress.

To his credit, Mr. Trump nominated Victor D. Cha, who served as the Asia director on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush and is a widely recognized expert on the Korean Peninsula. Trump removed the nomination when Mr. Cha explained the extreme dangers that a preemptive ‘bloody nose’ attack would expose the region to. That should give everyone pause.

One can hope that a ‘bloody nose’ strike would shock North Korea into taking the US more seriously but what if it does not? We can also hope that escalation by us or North Korea can be contained and the deaths of millions in the Koreas and Japan as well as the collapse of the world’s financial markets be prevented. As Mr. Cha has written in the Washington Post:

“Yet, there is a point at which hope must give in to logic. If we believe that Kim is undeterrable without such a strike, how can we also believe that a strike will deter him from responding in kind? And if Kim is unpredictable, impulsive and bordering on irrational, how can we control the escalation ladder, which is premised on an adversary’s rational understanding of signals and deterrence?”

“If the sanctions don’t work, we’ll have to go to phase two, and phase two may be a very rough thing,” Trump said during a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Trump did not specify what “phase two” might involve, but he warned, “It may be very, very unfortunate for the world.”

No one individual, let alone the madman presently in the White House, should be afforded the unilateral power to so radically transform the world.

Everyone should contact Congressman Reed and strongly encourage him to move Congress to prohibit any unilateral actions by Mr. Trump. No action with such extreme risks should be taken without the voice of the American people being heard.

Tom Meara

Jamestown