Month: February 2025

Zelensky must pick between Putin’s military violation of Ukraine and Trump’s economic violation. North Korea is watching.

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The terms of Trump's contract that landed at Zelensky’s office a week ago amount to the US economic colonization of Ukraine, in legal perpetuity. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202…

— Dr. Mark P. Barry☯︎ (@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T20:24:14.826Z

Between Trump's plan to displace Palestinians in Gaza and exorbitant demand for compensation from Ukraine, North Korea likely concluded it is better off allied with Russia than with China or the U.S. To the DPRK, they are all imperialists, but it values retaining its sovereignty above all else.

— Dr. Mark P. Barry☯︎ (@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T20:59:42.710Z

Photo at top: Ukraine’s President Zelensky met with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials at the Munich Security Conference, Feb. 14, 2025.

South Korea needs new leader to stand up to the Trump steamroller

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Ruling party chief dismisses speculation Yoon may voluntarily resign before impeachment ruling (which is to really say, "He will resign") en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025…

— Dr. Mark P. Barry☯︎ (@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T03:06:57.935Z

Never mind Rubio's meeting with FM Cho this weekend with its pro forma statements. The Trump steamroller is heading for South Korea and it needs a duly-elected ROK leader who has the political foundation to deal with Trump. The sooner Yoon resigns the better for South Korea it will be.

— Dr. Mark P. Barry☯︎ (@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T03:12:52.791Z

Photo at top: Acting as the ceremonial pace car, President Trump took a lap around the Daytona 500 racetrack in his presidential limousine, drawing cheers from NASCAR fans not long after completing a dramatic flyby on Air Force One, Feb. 16, 2025.

For Kim, Trump’s Gaza population displacement plan implies U.S. only seeks his capitulation

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(My interview today where I claim North Korea has every reason to be wary of Trump after his pushing his Gaza population displacement plan) Leaders of U.S. and N. Korea express opposing stances on denuclearization | Arirang News http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu8c…

— Dr. Mark P. Barry☯︎ (@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social) 2025-02-12T12:33:42.303Z

Photo at top: President Trump speaks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington.

For Trump, there are no small deals, only a “big deal”

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North Korea may be offered a similar model down the road, a sweeping "big deal." Of course, Kim already has nukes, not on the verge of them like Iran. But talk of a "small deal" is baloney. This is how Trump works. If he can't get Kim to agree to some kind of "big deal," Trump will just ignore him.

— Dr. Mark P. Barry☯︎ (@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T16:19:48.646Z

If Trump did a "small deal" with a nation, he thinks it would imply he couldn't do a "big deal." He doesn't want to look weak, and so he offers only a "big deal," or he walks away – "better no deal than a bad deal" as he said in Hanoi in 2019.

— Dr. Mark P. Barry☯︎ (@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T17:10:12.406Z

In short: Trump only wants to do a "grand bargain," no interim or halfway measures. He's like a light switch: either "on" or "off" on major diplomatic problems.

— Dr. Mark P. Barry☯︎ (@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T17:17:38.551Z

Inside Trump’s Hastily Written Proposal to ‘Own’ Gaza – The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/u…

— Dr. Mark P. Barry☯︎ (@drmarkpbarry.bsky.social) 2025-02-06T03:17:18.917Z