Can Dennis Rodman Avert a Nuclear War?

PNUT GALLERY

A Daily Pnut reader with an impressive background (Vietnam War fighter pilot, Fulbright Scholar, White House Fellow, McKinsey partner, and Reagan and Carter Administration civil servant) had this to say in response to yesterday’s Pnut:

The lead this morning in the Daily Pnut making reference to the passage of sixteen years since 9/11 and the enduring fallout from that event prompted me to think about a different shock. Pearl Harbor was attacked December 1941. Move forward through the major dislocation of nearly four years of total war to sixteen years, and we are in December 1957 — I was junior in high school. The following year, 1958, is often referred to as the high point of the US as a world power.

The comparison reminds me of the theory of history that argues trying to handle major historic issues as “business as usual” (think Vietnam, 9/11, terrorism, Syria, etc.) never works. It is better for society the theory states, if I have read correctly, to bring on the disruption, resolve it and move on. What does this thinking have to say about North Korea?

Now back to regular scheduled programming. Specifically about the reader’s letter on North Korea…

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

Merkel Stresses Diplomacy Over Warmongering: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, running for a fourth term in the upcoming election on September 24, is cementing her status as an international leader by calling for a new round of negotiations, with Germany joining talks with North Korea, as a diplomatic alternative to the fiery exchange between President Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.

In the Trump era, Merkel has emerged as the main defender of the West and its values. Merkel believes the only way to deal with North Korea’s nuclear program effectively is to come to a diplomatic solution. She draws a parallel to the multilateral talks with Iran over its nuclear program, calling that negotiation period “a long but important time of diplomacy” that ultimately had a “good end.” Referring to when the Iran deal was put in place she said “I could imagine such a format being used to end the North Korea conflict.” In sharp contrast, Trump has called the Iran deal “the worst deal ever,” but has yet to make moves to dismantle it.

Dennis Rodman has also offered to reset diplomatic relations as he has visited North Korea on several trips and developed a close rapport with Kim Jong-un who is a major basketball fan. Ping pong diplomacy worked for Nixon, perhaps Trump and other world leaders should try basketball diplomacy? Perhaps it would have been better for the world had Paul Pierce and Ray Allen renewed their friendship in North Korea as opposed to China?

Exploiters of Brazilian Resources Threaten Indigenous Tribes: Prosecutors in Brazil have opened an investigation into the reported massacre of about 10 members of an uncontacted tribe by gold miners in the Javari Valley, the second-largest indigenous reserve in Brazil. It is the latest evidence that threats to endangered indigenous groups are on the rise. Another reported killing of uncontacted Indians in the region occurred in February. Brazil’s president, Michel Temer, has slashed funding for Funai, the Brazilian agency on indigenous affairs, causing it to close five of the 19 bases it uses to monitor and protect isolated tribes. Temer has powerful allies in agricultural, ranching, and mining who lobbied to push economic changes through Congress, and shelter the president from a corruption investigation. Survival International, a global indigenous rights group, said such groups are entitled to protection under the Brazilian constitution, something the government is clearly not doing.

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

“Textbook Example of Ethnic Cleansing” in Myanmar?: Yesterday, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, accused Myanmar of carrying out “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing” against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. He condemned the military’s “brutal” security campaign, saying it was in clear violation of international law and resembled “a cynical ploy to forcibly transfer large numbers of people without possibility of return.” More than 300,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since August 25, after Rohingya militants attacked police posts and a military base in the state of Rakhine. The militant group responsible for those attacks declared a unilateral, one-month ceasefire on Sunday to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid and asked Myanmar’s military to agree to it. The military refused, saying it would not negotiate with terrorists.

Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the de facto leader of Myanmar’s civilian government and therefore (and importantly), does not control the military. Nonetheless, she has yet to condemn the military’s actions against the Rohingya. On Friday, the Dalai Lama became the latest Nobel Peace Laureate to question Suu Kyi’s silence, telling journalists that those persecuting the Rohingya “should remember Buddha” (Myanmar’s population is majority Buddhist). His statements followed those of yet another Nobel Peace Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, who wrote a pleading letter to his friend last week: “My dear sister: If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep. A country that is not at peace with itself, that fails to acknowledge and protect the dignity and worth of all its people, is not a free country. It is incongruous for a symbol of righteousness to lead such a country….”

KEEPING OUR EYE ON

Breaking News Alert! Hold Onto Your Hats, Folks! THE. FRENCH. ARE. PROTESTING.: Today, French President Emmanuel Macron faces the first major street protests of his short tenure when France’s second biggest trade union, the leftwing CGT, demonstrates nationwide against his overhaul of labor laws. Public sector workers, train staff, and energy sector workers are expected to join, which is slightly curious given that the new labor laws will affect only private sector workers in France. Importantly, no other leaders of the country’s largest unions are joining the protests. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe stated the protests would not result in any changes to the proposed overhaul, designed to address France’s massive unemployment. (Joblessness in the country is about twice that of Britain or Germany.)

Google Searches for “How To Appeal Billion Dollar Fines” on the Rise: Yesterday, Google appealed its record $2.9 billion EU antitrust fine, with its chances of success boosted by Intel’s partial victory last week against another EU sanction. Google was fined by the European Commission for attempting to dominate in Europe by giving prominent search placement to its own comparison shopping service while demoting rival sites. The Commission, which ordered Google to stop the practice by the end of this month, is reviewing Google’s proposal on how it will comply with the EU decision. The General Court, Europe’s second-highest, is expected to take several years to rule on Google’s appeal, and the EU competition enforcer will defend its decision in court, a spokesperson said.

Supreme Court Gives Thumbs Up To Part of Trump’s Travel Ban: The Trump administration won a partial victory Monday when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy left in place the ban on refugees that resettlement agencies had already vetted and planned to move to the US. The “administrative stay” allows the administration to exclude those refugees from entering the US while the Supreme Court considers broader challenges to the lawfulness of President Trump’s revised travel ban, issued in March. Trump’s original travel ban, issued in January, caused chaos at airports nationwide, global outcry, and a cascade of litigation. Two federal appeals courts had blocked central parts of the ban, using different analyses of why it was unconstitutional. One said the ban discriminated based on religion, and the other said it exceeded the president’s statutory authority to control immigration. In June the Supreme Court agreed to hear the entire case after its new session begins in October.

SPONSORED NUTS: PARACHUTE’S VERY COMFORTABLE BEDDING

Autumn is coming. That means adding sweaters to your wardrobe, “hot” to your drink order and cozy blankets to your bed. Get comfortable this fall with Parachute’s super soft sheets, pillows, duvet comforters, quilts and more.

Enjoy free shipping and returns on Parachute’s super soft sheets.

Please support Daily Pnut!