CNN has uncovered this, uh, disconcerting North Korean performance that appears to show the U.S. going up in flames.
Well, that’s one way visualize an orchestral score. The performance appeared to mark the birthday of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, and images of missiles detonating on American soil appeared to get some applause from the crowd.
North Korea’s lengthy history of animosity with the United States has reached new levels in recent days, as a botched North Korean test missile launch prompted a visit from Vice President Mike Pence to the Korean border, where he informed the press that America’s era of “strategic patience” with what they perceive as North Korean aggression is over. There were unconfirmed reports that the U.S. was willing to consider pre-emptive strikes.
These reports were denied by White House officials, although President Trump himself was less clear when he was asked directly, saying “I don’t want to telegraph what I’m doing or what I’m thinking. I’m not like other administrations where they say ‘we’re going to do this in four weeks, and that —’ doesn’t work that way.”
None of this means that nuclear war is anywhere close to breaking out, no matter what you’re seeing on Twitter. Still, the Trump administration’s apparent preparedness to use military force against North Korea marks a new era in American foreign policy — one that previous administrations balked at.
