Tag Archives: North Korea

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North And South Korea Pursue Continued Dialogue Despite “Libya Model” Remarks

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On May 24, the White House and President Trump announced that the U.S. would be calling off the long-anticipated peace summit with North Korean and South Korean leadership in Singapore. According to a letter sent to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from President Trump, the U.S. decided to cancel the summit, which would have taken place next month, due to the “tremendous anger and open hostility” of a recent statement issued by North Korea. While Trump has since hinted that the summit may yet happen, his letter deserves examination as his take on North Korea’s “hostility” lacks important context.

Indeed, the “hostility” of North Korea may be viewed as a direct response to statements made by high-ranking members of the Trump administration, including Trump himself, that explicitly referenced the so-called “Libya model” of denuclearization. The remarks referenced by Trump’s letter were aimed directly at Vice President Mike Pence, who had discussed implementation of the “Libya model” in an interview with FOX News last Monday, leading North Korea to call Pence a “political dummy” and his comments “stupid” and “impudent.”

Pence was the latest U.S. official to make such comments. In recent weeks, Trump himself stated that the Libya model “was total decimation. That model would take place if we don’t make a deal.” In late April, National Security Adviser John Bolton had been the first administration official to reference the “Libya model” where he mentioned Libya as the administration’s road map for the denuclearization of North Korea on several different television programs.

The reference to Libya provoked North Korean leadership given that the U.S. government supported the overthrow of Libya’s government after its former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, had dismantled its early-stage nuclear program at the behest of the United States. The destruction of Libya turned the country, which once boasted the highest standard of living in all of Africa, into a failed state and saw Gaddafi brutally sodomized with a bayonet before being shot by U.S.-backed jihadists.

“It is essentially a manifestation of an awfully sinister move to impose on our dignified state the destiny of Libya or Iraq, which had been brought down due to yielding the whole of their countries to big powers,” North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan said in a statement.

[Read more: Obama/Clinton to Blame for Slave Markets in Libya?]

At the time of the U.S.-backed overthrow of Libya’s government, a North Korean official stated that “the Libyan crisis is teaching the international community a grave lesson,” namely that U.S.-brokered attempts at nuclear disarmament are ultimately “an invasion tactic to disarm” countries. The so-called “Libya model” has since been cited by U.S. officials as the likely motivation behind North Korea’s decision to become a full-fledged nuclear power.

The comments regarding Libya have not been the only actions recently taken by the U.S. that North Koreans have cited as provocative and unproductive in light of the peace talks. Indeed, another major point of contention has been the large military exercise currently being held by the U.S. and South Korea, which North Korea has claimed is an imitation of an invasion of its country and a “deliberate military provocation.” The exercise reportedly had initially included nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and F-15K jets.

While the widespread mention of the “Libya model” and the recent military drill together suggest that the U.S. may have sabotaged the talks, Trump seemed to walk back from suggestions that the peace talks would be canceled for good. A few hours after the letter was sent, Trump stated that he “held up hope” that the summit could be rescheduled for another date, leading some to suggest that Trump’s letter was a tactic aimed at giving the U.S. an advantage in future negotiations.

However, the Trump administration’s decision to cancel the summit indicates that its top officials prefer a military solution to tensions on the Korean peninsula. Chief among those officials is Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton.

In recent years, Bolton has repeatedly argued that “regime change” was the only “diplomatic” solution left that could be used to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and he is well known for his role in sabotaging past agreements aimed at denuclearizing North Korea while serving in the Bush administration.

Beyond Bolton, obstructions of the Korea peace summit have come from elsewhere such as the U.S. military. Were peace achieved, there would be little reason to maintain the 15 U.S. military bases in South Korea, along with the approximately 28,000 American troops currently stationed there; the removal of those troops would drastically reduce U.S. presence in the region. It would also be a loss to U.S. weapons manufacturers who have long supplied South Korea with armaments, including missile defense systems.

Ultimately, peace on the Korean peninsula appears to be attainable. North and South Korea have successfully held two productive meetings this year: following the historic meeting in April between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowing to end war and denuclearize, the two held an unannounced meeting on Saturday to continue further dialogue. Moon subsequently confirmed that Kim supports denuclearization and a summit with Trump, stating that “Chairman Kim and I have agreed that the June 12 summit should be held successfully, and that our quest for the Korean Peninsula’s denuclearization and a perpetual peace regime should not be halted.”

Moon also said that Kim “once again has made clear his will for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and expressed his intent to settle the history of war and confrontation, and to cooperate for peace and prosperity through the success of the North Korea-US summit.”

International

Kim Jong Un Committed To ‘Complete Denuclearization’ Of Korean Peninsula

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(DCNF) North Korean state media announced Saturday Kim Jong Un’s commitment to a nuclear-free Korea through the “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula.

“North and South Korea affirmed the common goal of realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization,” the Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday, commenting on Friday’s historic inter-Korean summit. “Sharing the understanding that the measures led and taken by the North and South are very meaningful, significant ones for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, (both sides) agreed to fulfill their respective responsibilities and roles going forward.”

Kim met South Korean President Moon Jae-in Friday at the border at the first inter-Korean summit in over a decade. During the summit — the third since the end of wartime hostilities — Kim became the first North Korean leader to visit South Korea since the signing of the armistice over six decades ago. In a joint statement following talks, Moon and Kim expressed a desire to denuclearize the peninsula.

That commitment was not only mentioned by KCNA, but it was also carried by the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling party.

Since Pyongyang began its diplomatic charm offensive, the world has only heard talk of North Korea’s commitment to denuclearization through third parties — such as South Korean diplomats, Chinese state media, and U.S. officials involved in laying the groundwork for President Donald Trump’s eventual meeting with the young North Korean leader.

https://twitter.com/chadocl/status/990053481456136192

A revelation to the people of North Korea that Kim is willing to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is noteworthy and potentially speaks volumes about his sincerity. At the same time though, denuclearization may be interpreted differently in Pyongyang, Seoul, and Washington, D.C. It remains to be seen if all countries are on the same page with this particular issue.

Furthermore, it should be noted a commitment to denuclearization is not the same as saying North Korea will abandon its nuclear arsenal. “I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” former President Barack Obama stated in 2009. America has not forfeited its nuclear weapons.

New U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who recently made a secret trip to North Korea, believes Kim is “serious” about denuclearization, Pompeo saidFriday. While North Korea has repeatedly credited the Korean people, Pompeo stressed the situation would not be as it is now without Trump’s leadership.

“Let there be no doubt, we would not be where we are today without President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign and the work that has been done all around the world to apply pressure to North Korea,” Pompeo explained.

Written by Ryan Pickrell: Follow Ryan on Twitter

 

This article was republished with permission from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Featured, Foreign Policy, International, Politics, US

Reports: North and South Korea Discussing Official End To 68-Year War

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Seoul, South Korea – While the Korean war never officially ended after more than six decades, multiple reports indicate that the conflict may soon see an official conclusion. An article from USA Today reports that “South Korea would consider negotiating an end to the decades-old Korean War if North Korea commits to denuclearization,” according to a Seoul official.

As noted by Bloomberg, an official peace treaty has never been signed in place of a 1953 armistice to effectively halt the Korean War. “The peninsula remains bisected in a perpetual stalemate, with the U.S.-backed South Korean military lined up against more than a million North Korean troops,” the publication illustrated. “While tensions have occasionally flared, the two sides have so far staved off another devastating conflict.”

Munhwa Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, cited an anonymous South Korean diplomatic official in its report that the two Koreas are working on a statement to announce an official end to the Korean war later this month when South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meet for the first time.

[Related: Report: North Korea May Seek Peace Treaty to Formally End Korean War]

As CNBC reports:

Kim and Moon could also discuss returning the heavily-fortified demilitarized zone separating them to its original state, the newspaper said.

Pyongyang and Seoul have technically been at war since the 1950-1953 Korean conflict ended with a truce—and not a peace treaty. Geopolitical tensions have occasionally flared up since the armistice, although to date both countries have managed to avoid another devastating conflict.

A successful summit between the Koreas later this month could help pave the way for a meeting between Kim and President Donald Trump. The U.S. president and North Korean leader are poised to hold talks in late May or June, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

While political pundits argue over whether it was President Trump’s “fire and fury” rhetoric, or “masterful” diplomacy on the part of South Korea, North Korea has signaled an increased willingness to consider denuclearization.

The Washington Post reported that current CIA Director and Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo “made a top-secret visit to North Korea as an envoy for President Trump to meet with Kim Jong Un, and plans for a possible summit between the two leaders are underway, Trump confirmed Wednesday.”

The report from The Washington Post explained:

The extraordinary meeting between one of Trump’s most trusted emissaries and the authoritarian head of a rogue state was part of an effort to lay the groundwork for direct talks between Trump and Kim about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

The clandestine mission came late last month, soon after Pompeo was nominated to be secretary of state. The Pompeo mission was first reported Tuesday by The Washington Post, citing two people with direct knowledge of the trip.

On Wednesday, Trump acknowledged the outreach and said “a good relationship was formed” that could lead to a landmark meeting between the president and Kim.

“Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea last week,” Trump tweeted. “Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!”

Korea experts remain cautiously optimistic about the prospect of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but if the recent reports of an official end to the six-decade war are correct, it would prove to be a critical step toward establishing sustained peace in the region.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGLGF5rhJmw

Featured, Foreign Policy, International, US

Report: North Korea May Seek Peace Treaty to Formally End Korean War

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Washington, D.C. – After President Donald Trump agreed to meet with North Korean President Kim Jong Un, with specific details yet to be worked out, Bloomberg is reporting that Kim may request that the signing of a peace treaty at a proposed meeting with the U.S. president.

On March 12, South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo, citing an unnamed senior official in South Korea’s presidential office, claimed that North Korea may request a peace treaty and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the U.S. – in addition to potentially discussing nuclear disarmament.

The Korean War came to an end with the signing of an armistice, with neither side able to claim outright victory. Military commanders from China and North Korea signed the agreement on one side, while the U.S.-led United Nations Command signed on behalf of the international community. Ironically, South Korea was not a signatory. The armistice was only ever intended as a temporary measure but has been in place for more than 60 years.

“There were agreements between the U.S. and North Korea to open up discussion on a peace treaty, but they never materialized,” Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul told Bloomberg, noting that conditions were critical. “The U.S. wants a peace treaty at the end of the denuclearization process, while for the North, it’s the precondition for its denuclearization.”

According to the report by Bloomberg:

Signing a peace treaty would require addressing issues regarding the U.S. military’s presence in South Korea and its transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea and United Nations forces in South Korea, Koh said.

Trump’s surprise decision Thursday to accept a meeting with Kim dispensed with decades of U.S. foreign policy by accepting the high-stakes invitation based on a vague offer by Kim to discuss giving up his nuclear weapons program. The decision drew both support from countries seeking to defuse tensions between North Korea and the U.S., and warnings that Kim could be seeking more time to develop his weapons and reduce pressure from international sanctions.

[RELATED: Reality Check: Will Sanctions Against North Korea Really Work?]

Although Trump’s acceptance of the offer to meet was considered risky, in another sign of thawing relations between the North and South, South Korean President Moon Jae-in also accepted an offer for a meeting near the countries shared border later next month, in which Kim is expected to propose resuming cultural exchanges and family reunions.

South Korea and U.S. officials are reportedly in discussions over how to conduct upcoming large-scale military drills— largely meant as a display of military might— without provoking the North Korean government. Some reports indicate the US will not have an aircraft participate in the joint military drills in an effort to mitigate the breakthrough in diplomacy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGLGF5rhJmw

Featured, Foreign Policy, Reality Check

Reality Check: Will Sanctions Against North Korea Really Work?

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Take our Truth In Media poll. Is U.S. Sanction Policy a Failure? Click here to vote.

The Russian envoy to North Korea warned President Trump not to place any further sanctions against North Korea or Kim Jong-un surrounding “supplies of oil”.

To do so, he says, would be perceived as a declaration of war. But if we’re going to be honest, aren’t all sanctions an act of war? And why are we putting sanctions on North Korea in the first place?

Forget all the talking points you’ve heard over the past year — because this is a Reality Check you’re not going to get anywhere else.

Alexander Matsegora, Moscow’s envoy to North Korea says that any more sanctions on the country’s oil supply would be perceived as a declaration of war.

He went on to tell President Trump, “If the supplies of oil and oil product are stopped, it would mean a complete blockade of the DPRK (North Korea).”

According to Newsbreakouts.com, “Before Christmas, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to cut exports of gasoline, diesel and other oil products by 89 per cent.”

And The Express UK reports that, “Right now, the current UN sanction that caps oil supplies to 540,000 tons from China and 60,000 tons of refined oil from other nations was labelled as ‘a drop in the ocean’”

You know that the war of words between president Trump and Kim Jong-un has been intensifying for almost a year, and so have actions by the U.S.

For instance, in November of last year, President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson argued that North Korea deserved to be back on the list of state sponsors of terror.

Why? Because the North Korean government is reported to have assassinated a North Korean citizen—Kim Jong-Un’s own half-brother.

Of course, that says nothing about Washington’s own program to assassinate U.S. citizens like Anwar al-Awlaki and his 16-year-old son under Obama, and later Awlaki’s eight-year-old daughter under Trump.

And like Kim’s half brother, Awlaki and his two children were never tried or convicted of any single crime before being killed by their own government. They were living in Yemen but were still full U.S. born citizens.

The Ron Paul Institute points out:

“So North Korea is officially a terrorism-sponsoring nation according to the Trump Administration because Kim Jong-Un killed a family member.” Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has killed 10,000 civilians and injured 40,000 more since 2105 and “no one says a word. In fact, the US government has just announced it will sell Saudi Arabia $7 billion more weapons.”

The bottom line? In reality, a “state sponsor of terrorism” designation has little to do with actual support for global terrorism.

As bad as the North Korean government is—and no doubt the North Korean government is terrible—the government of North Korea does not invade other countries, nor do we have reports of North Korea funding terror attacks around the world.

The designation is a political one, allowing Washington to ramp up more aggression against North Korea.

And part of that aggression are sanction, which are in and of themselves an act of war. But truthfully, sanctions aren’t a war on military or government. They are war on the people.

During this year’s State of the Union address, President Trump said this:

“North Korea’s reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland. We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happening. Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this very dangerous position.”

And there was an moving moment with a North Korean defector.

So—aggressive sanctions against North Korea are the way to go?

According to Arie W. Kruglanski from the National Center for the Study of Terrorism:

  • Extensive sanctions imposed on India and Pakistan didn’t deter them from acquiring a nuclear capability.
  • Economic pressure by the U.S. in the 1970s did not convince Turkey to remove its troops from Cyprus.
  • U.S. sanctions against Russia under the Obama administration didn’t seem to phase the country.

In fact, according to the CATO Institute, “…the most compre-hensive study of sanctions found, they fail to achieve their goals in 66 percent of cases, and they fail 79 percent of the time when designed to discourage military misadventurism.”

And why that is, is what you need to know. Because in reality, sanctions don’t hurt the most powerful, most connected and wealthiest people in a nation who, by the way, are the ones who control militaries.

No. Cutting off oil, crashing economies, weakening finance, creating a lack of food import—all that those sanctions truly do is bruise and harm the people in that country who have no real control over whether there is a war or not.

That’s Reality Check. Let’s talk about it tonight on Twitter and Facebook.

 

 

 

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Poll: Is U.S. Sanction Policy a Failure?

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Sanctions 2/13/2018

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Foreign Policy, Opinion, Politics

Examining Trump’s Meetings on North Korea with “Long-Time Friend” Kissinger

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Last Friday, former U.S. Secretary of State and contentious public figure Henry Kissinger made headlines after asserting that North Korea poses the most immediate threat to “global security” and ominously stated that the “temptation to deal” with North Korea “with a pre-emptive attack is strong.” While some may dismiss Kissinger’s statements as merely the musings of a 94-year-old former statesman, others may argue that his influence over the presidential administration of his “long-time friend” Donald Trump could turn this “temptation” into reality.

After his rise to political prominence, Trump’s first meeting with Kissinger took place in May of 2016. Notably, that meeting occurred only a day after then-candidate Trump said he would open dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if elected President. After that initial meeting, Kissinger and Trump met last November of that same year and, afterwards, Kissinger stated that Trump would likely not be keeping all his campaign promises, as he was undergoing “the transition from being a campaigner to being a national strategist.” This apparently included letting go of his promise to open dialogue with North Korea.

In addition to their meetings in 2016, Kissinger and Trump met an additional three times last year. The most recent of those took place last October, and the topic was none other than North Korea. That same day, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis instructed the U.S. Army to stand ready if North Korea diplomacy fails. The next day, Trump met with the nation’s top military commanders in the White House Situation Room, sometimes called “the War Room,” to discuss possible options for responding to North Korean “aggression.”

These options included the “tempting” plan for a pre-emptive “bloody nose” strike against North Korea. Experts, and even former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, have noted that tens of millions of innocent civilians could easily be killed in the first 30 minutes of a military conflict erupting on the Korean peninsula as well as the fact that such a conflict could quickly become global in scale. Experts have also asserted that the U.S. would be “unlikely” to win a conflict against North Korea.

Yet, of all the possibilities raised during that meeting, not one of them included a diplomatic approach despite the attempts of both North Korea’s and Trump’s own State Department to open dialogue. Those present at the meeting also did not consider North Korea’s repeated offer to terminate its nuclear weapon and missile program if the U.S. stops conducting annual war games with South Korea in proximity to North Korean territory – an offer refused by both Obama and Trump.

While some Trump supporters may argue that Trump is unlikely to follow the advice of someone as closely connected to the “deep state” as Henry Kissinger, Trump has expressed nothing but praise for the man who is credited with transforming U.S. foreign policy into one of perpetual, undeclared war.

Henry Kissinger and Nancy Kissinger, Donald Trump and wife Ivana Trump backstage at a Liza Minelli show in New York, June 11, 1987. (AP/ Ron Frehm)

After their most recent meeting last October, Trump praised Kissinger’s “immense talent.” “Henry Kissinger has been a friend of mine,” he added. “I’ve liked him. I’ve respected him. But we’ve been friends for a long time, long before my emergence into the world of politics, which has not been too long.” All this, despite the fact that Kissinger is also a long-time advisor and confidante of Trump’s former rival for the presidency, Hillary Clinton.

Kissinger’s recent statements on North Korea come at an interesting time. Despite best efforts from the U.S. to inflame tensions on the Korean peninsula, North and South Korea have made major breakthroughs towards peace. The most noteworthy of these was the joint decision to have the teams of both nations march together during the upcoming Winter Olympics to be hosted on the Korean peninsula.

Yet, as Kissinger’s past clearly indicates, his version of “diplomacy” does not typically allow for peace. A 2016 article written by Greg Grandin chronicled Kissinger’s most noteworthy actions:

“Let’s consider some of Kissinger’s achievements during his tenure as Richard Nixon’s top foreign policy–maker. He (1) prolonged the Vietnam War for five pointless years; (2) illegally bombed Cambodia and Laos; (3) goaded Nixon to wiretap staffers and journalists; (4) bore responsibility for three genocides in Cambodia, East Timor, and Bangladesh; (5) urged Nixon to go after Daniel Ellsberg for having released the Pentagon Papers, which set off a chain of events that brought down the Nixon White House; (6) pumped up Pakistan’s ISI, and encouraged it to use political Islam to destabilize Afghanistan; (7) began the US’s arms-for-petrodollars dependency with Saudi Arabia and pre-revolutionary Iran; (8) accelerated needless civil wars in southern Africa that, in the name of supporting white supremacy, left millions dead; (9) supported coups and death squads throughout Latin America; and (10) ingratiated himself with the first-generation neocons, such as Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz, who would take American militarism to its next calamitous level.”

Kissinger’s notable stance on North Korea and apparent sway over Trump, along with the Trump administration’s new Nuclear Posture Review, raises additional questions related to Trump’s foreign policy moving forward as well as the question of whether Trump may be later exemplified as a war criminal alongside his “long-time friend”.

Foreign Policy, International, Politics

Kissinger on North Korea: “Temptation to Deal with It with a Pre-emptive Attack is Strong”

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Washington, D.C. — Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger warned members of the Senate Armed Services Committee about the dangers of a potential military conflict so close to the Russian and Chinese borders without international support during testimony about global challenges and U.S. national security strategy.

While the White House has previously implied that any development of a nuclear capable ICBM would be a potential red line, some geopolitical experts claim that North Korea has already achieved a nuclear armed ICBM, or is very close to achieving this capability.

As PJ Media reported, Kissinger detailed his perspective on an imminent “fork in the road,” where the Trump administration will be forced to consider whether to engage in a  “pre-emptive attack” or tighten the current sanctions regime.

“We will hit that fork in the road, and the temptation to deal with it with a pre-emptive attack is strong, and the argument is rational, but I have seen no public statement by any leading official,” Kissinger told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on January 25. “But in any event, my own thinking, I would be very concerned by any unilateral American war at the borders of China and Russia, in which we are not supported by a significant part of the world, or at least of the Asian world.”

The refusal of North Korea to denuclearize, according to Kissinger, could potentially lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Asia. The former Secretary of State under the administrations of Presidents Nixon and Ford told the committee that he believes South Korea will eventually seek to develop nuclear arms if North Korea continues its program unabated— with Japan likely following suit.

“Then we’re living in a new world, in which technically competent countries with adequate command structures are possessing nuclear weapons in an area where there are considerable national disagreements,” Kissinger said. “That is a new world that will require new thinking by us.”

Kissinger presciently noted that such a turn of events would require a dramatic overhaul of the entire U.S. nuclear posture, as it would require strategic planners to mitigate multiple nuclear threats instead of one as currently assumed. Kissinger pointed out that the situation has the capability of devolving into a global nuclear proliferation nightmare.

The geopolitical thought leader also chimed in on the proposed “freeze for freeze” agreement, which calls for North Korean to halt missile tests in return for abandoning defined Allied military exercises, noting that such a plan would not fulfill or advance the goal of denuclearization of North Korea. In fact, Kissinger says that such a move would only “equate legitimate security operations with activities which have been condemned by the UN Security Council for decades,” and serve to potentially “dismantle American alliances in the region”— while simultaneously “legitimizing North Korea’s nuclear establishment.”

“Interim steps towards full denuclearization may well be part of an eventual negotiation. But they need to be steps towards this ultimate goal: the dismantlement of Pyongyang’s existing arsenal. They must not repeat the experience of the Vietnamese and Korean negotiations, which were used as means to buy time to further pursue their adversarial objectives,” Kissinger told the committee.

International, Politics, US

News agency reports they have obtained ‘Spy Cables’

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Al Jazeera, a news broadcasting agency owned by the government of Qatar, has reported they have obtained hundreds of confidential and hidden documents, which the agency are calling the “Spy Cables.”

The report from Al Jazeera announcing the cables says the documents offer “an unprecedented insight into operational dealings of the shadowy and highly politicised realm of global espionage.” Al Jazeera also says they will release the documents over the next couple of days alongside the newspaper the Guardian.

The leaked documents, according to the Business Insider, come from many government agencies around the world, including Russia’s FSB, South Africa’s SSA, Britain’s MI6, and others. Documents from any American intelligence agencies though seem to be absent from the Spy Cables.

Even though documents from American intelligence agencies are not included, some of the documents point to the CIA working in correspondence with South Africa’s SSA agency. The documents also allegedly say the CIA had attempted to contact the group HAMAS, even though the U.S. government has labeled the group a terrorist organization.

Other documents say MI6 had attempted to recruit a spy in North Korea with the help of the South African government. MI6 reportedly met with a North Korean man and offered him an “undisclosed amount of money” for the man’s cooperation in a “long term clandestine operation.”

Another document claims Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu had exaggerated Iran’s nuclear production levels in a 2012 declaration made in front of the UN. A secret Mossad document released in the leak, however, says Iran was not at the time “performing the activity necessary to produce weapons.”

Al Jazeera writes they will only publish documents which they believe serve the public interest. They also write, “We believe it is important to achieve greater transparency in the field of intelligence…. Publishing these documents, including operational and tradecraft details, is a necessary contribution to a greater public scrutiny of their activities.”

More leaked documents will be released in the next few days on Al Jazeera and the Guardian.

Business, Entertainment, Politics, Technology, US

NSA Justifies Blaming North Korea for Sony Hack by Revealing US First Hacked North Korea

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Recently leaked documents from the National Security Agency (NSA) reveal that the United States hacked North Korea’s computer system in 2010, in order to monitor the activity of the country’s hackers. This knowledge is being used to justify the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) claim that North Korea is behind the massive hack on Sony Pictures, which occurred in November 2014.

Following the revelation of the Sony hack, the FBI released a statement, saying North Korea was responsible:

“The FBI has concluded the Government of North Korea is responsible for the theft and destruction of data on the network of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Attribution to North Korea is based on intelligence from the FBI, the U.S. intelligence community, DHS, foreign partners and the private sector.”

Some Cybersecurity experts in the United States were skeptical of North Korea’s ability to carry out such a massive hack, and instead labeled it an inside job.

Kurt Stammberger, the senior vice president of the Cybersecurity firm Norse, told CBS News that his firm believes the Sony hack was so devastating, it could have only been accomplished by someone on the inside. “Sony was not just hacked, this is a company that was essentially nuked from the inside,” Stammberger said.

Although many questioned how the agency had obtained such concrete evidence of North Korea’s involvement, the FBI stuck by its claim, giving the explanation that the “Technical analysis of the data deletion malware used in this attack revealed links to other malware that the FBI knows North Korean actors previously developed.”

On Sunday, the New York Times released a leaked document from the NSA, which revealed that the US had hacked into North Korea’s computer system in 2010.

According to the New York Times, the US hacked into North Korea’s system to “place malware that could track the internal workings of many of the computers and networks used by the North’s hackers,” and the “evidence gathered by the ‘early warning radar’ of software” was used to justify the claim that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had ordered the attack.

Seeking retaliation for the Sony hack, Obama announced a round of sanctions against North Korea on January 2, which will target three companies and ten North Korean officials.

The Independent noted that when President Obama addressed the cyber attack in December, and placed the blame on North Korea, it was the “first time the US had ever explicitly accused a foreign government of launching a cyber-attack on American interests.”

International, Swann TV, Technology, US

British Spy Agency Hacking and Stealing Emails From NBC News, NY Times, Washington Post

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Washington D.C.- Newly released National Security Agency documents obtained by whistleblower Edward Snowden show that during a 10 minute timespan in 2008, the UK’s GCHQ spy agency collected at least 70,000 emails from journalists at The Washington Post, The New York Times, NBC News and multiple overseas news organizations.

Just the latest in a string of releases revealing the massive capabilities of modern intelligence gathering organizations, the information is renewing fears of a massive security complex that is threatening the rights of private citizens as well as government watchdogs.

Interestingly, GHCQ listed investigative journalists as the second greatest threats to security, directly behind terrorist organizations.

Don’t expect outrage from the Obama Administration which itself has seized the private communications of reporters and hacked journalist’s phone lines and email.

On the other hand, it is interesting to see the outrage against the alleged North Korea hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment and the stealing of data from that private entertainment company. Meanwhile, it is unlikely that any person in Washington will call this an act of cyber warfare despite the fact that a foreign government used cyber technology to hack into the email accounts of American journalists.

In the video above Ben Swann goes into detail about these new revelations.

Civil Liberties, Government Accountability, Politics, Privacy, Technology, US

NSA Chief Pushes Bill Granting New Powers

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Ruppersberger Reintroduces CISPA, Citing North Korea

by Jason Ditz, January 09, 2015
For years privacy advocates have been pushing against the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which eliminates all privacy protections on the sharing of private information so long as it is done for “cybersecurity purposes.”

CISPA has failed in the past, but is back again, with Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D – MD), its longtime advocate, reintroducing it and citing the hack of Sony Pictures, putatively by North Korea, as justification for new powers.

The NSA is understandably all over this as well, since it will give the companies it works with carte blanche to share data with them without legal ramifications so long as they can play the cybersecurity card.

It is the eagerness for government agencies to get these new powers and access to information that is likely informing their decision to blame North Korea for the Sony hack, as a foreign attack would be a far better sell for granting them new powers than the likely facts, that Sony was attacked by a disgruntled former employee and a handful of other hackers.

Foreign Policy, International, Technology, US

New sanctions to be placed on North Korean organizations

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While the origins of the Sony hack is still a point of contention, with some people claiming it was a company insider named Linda and many claiming it was North Korea, President Obama has put up new sanctions against three North Korean organizations as well as 10 individuals.

These sanctions, according to the BBC,  are believed to be the first time the U.S. has punished a country over cyber-attacks against a company based in the U.S.

While all the new sanctions are believed to not be against those directly involved with the Sony hack, White House officials are saying the sanctions are meant to isolate North Korea’s defense industry to prevent future cyber-attacks.

“This is really an example of where you’ve had a country really cross a threshold in terms of its attack due to its destructive and coercive nature,” said an official according to Politico.

The sanctions are mostly centered on North Korea’s military intelligence agencies, while the 10 individuals who are affected by the sanctions are, according to Reuters, involved in the sale and proliferation of weapons.

In a letter written by President Obama to House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the president wrote, according to ABC News, “The order is not targeted at the people of North Korea, but rather is aimed at the Government of North Korea and its activities that threaten the United States and others.”

Whether or not these sanctions will have the desired results the White House hopes for is still unknown. However, given the U.S. placed sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear program in 2008, 2010, and 2011, all of which North Korea ignored, one can assume these sanctions will not be taken seriously by the government of North Korea.

Foreign Policy, International, Politics, US

Obama Sanctions North Korea, Citing Discredited Sony Allegation

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White House Says Sanctions ‘First Aspect’ of Retaliation

by Jason Ditz, January 02, 2015

Even though the FBI’s allegations that North Korea was behind the hacking of Sony Pictures have long since been discredited, with cybersecurity experts pointing the finger at a group of hackers centered around a disgruntled former employee, President Obama today announced a new round of sanctions against North Korea explicitly in retaliation for this.

White House officials termed the sanctions the “first aspect” of the president’s promised “proportional” retaliation against North Korea for cancelling the release of Sony movie The Interview, a movie which was released at any rate.

The timing of the sanctions suggests there’s more than just a botched FBI investigation behind them, however, as the sanctions were announced just one day after both North and South Korea began talking up a summit designed to improve ties between the two.

Whenever North Korea has suggested any sort of rapprochement with the US, it has been dismissed by President Obama out of hand, and this move may be designed to sabotage any South Korean talks, or to at least send the signal that no matter what the Park government decides, the US will remains hostile to North Korea.

Business, International, Politics, Technology, US

U.S. Cybersecurity Expert Calls Sony Hack an Inside Job

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Following the major hack on Sony Pictures, some experts in the United States are skeptical of the FBI’s claim that North Korea is responsible.

Instead of blaming Pyongyang for the hack, the Cybersecurity firm Norse, based in California, believes that the hack was actually an inside job, led by a former Sony employee identified as “Lena.”

On Wednesday, a senior vice president of the Norse firm, Kurt Stammberger, told CBS News that the firm’s investigation has led them to believe that the Sony hack was so devastating, it was something that could have only been accomplished by someone on the inside.

“Sony was not just hacked, this is a company that was essentially nuked from the inside,” said Stammberger. “We are very confident that this was not an attack masterminded by North Korea and that insiders were key to the implementation of one of the most devastating attacks in history.”

Stammberger identified the main hacker as a woman who calls herself “Lena,” claims she is connected to the “Guardians of Peace” hacking group, and was a Sony employee in Los Angeles for ten years, before leaving in May 2014.

“This woman was in precisely the right position and had the deep technical background she would need to locate the specific servers that were compromised,” Stammberger said.

The FBI released a statement last week, blaming the breach on North Korea:

“Technical analysis of the data deletion malware used in this attack revealed links to other malware that the FBI knows North Korean actors previously developed. For example, there were similarities in specific lines of code, encryption algorithms, data deletion methods, and compromised networks. The FBI also observed significant overlap between the infrastructure used in this attack and other malicious cyber activity the U.S. Government has previously linked directly to North Korea.”

Stammberger contested the claim, saying that any clues leading in that direction, such as the malware used to attack Sony having been used by North Korea before, have been easily ruled out by his firm, due to the fact that the same malware is used by hackers worldwide daily.

“There are certainly North Korean fingerprints on this but when we run all those leads to ground they turn out to be decoys or red herrings,” Stammberger said.

The massive hack on Sony came shortly before the company’s release of the movie “The Interview.”  While the movie’s plot involved an assassination attempt on the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, CBS News reported that the “original demand of the hackers was for money from Sony in exchange for not releasing embarrassing information,” and that there was “no mention of the movie ‘The Interview.‘”

International, Technology, US

Obama says Sony made a ‘mistake’ after canceling film release

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President Obama, in his final press release for 2014, has said the cancellation of the film “The Interview” by Sony Pictures was a “mistake,” and the company should have talked to him before moving forward with their plans.

The president said he was sympathetic towards Sony, and all the employees who were threatened after the recent cyber attacks against the company, and understands their desire for safety.  However, he then went on to say, according to ABC News, “I think they made a mistake,” with concern to the companies decision to cancel the release of the comedy movie.

Afterwards, the president stated, according to RT, “I wish they would’ve spoken with me first. I would have told them: do not get into a pattern in which you’re intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks.”

The Sony hacks and cancellation of the film though, were also said to be an example of how the U.S. needs to pass a cybersecurity bill by Congress.

“In this interconnected digital world, there are going to be opportunities for hackers to engage in cyber-assaults both in the private sector and in the public sector… We need more rules about how the internet should operate,” the president said according to Boing Boing.

Representative Mike Rogers (R-Michigan) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) echoed the president’s for more regulation over the internet.

“This is only the latest example of the need for serious legislation to improve the sharing of information between the private sector and the government to help companies strengthen cybersecurity,” said Sen. Feinstein.  “We must pass an information sharing bill as quickly as possible next .”

International, Politics, US

Obama Nominates Ashton Carter for Defense Secretary

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Carter Pushed for Attacks on North Korea

by Jason Ditz, December 05, 2014
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter was finally formally nominated to replace Chuck Hagel as the head of the Defense Department today, after days of speculation.
Carter was the fallback nominee after several people reported as top choices of President Obama all publicly rejected the post. Though Senate Republicans are backing Carter as a choice, his status as the only person who would take the job is likely to undermine his authority.
Carter had been seen as a potential candidate when Hagel was selected, and left office shortly thereafter. He is seen as a fairly straightforward hawk, and in 2006 he pushed for the Bush Administration to attack North Korea over its nuclear program.

At the time, Carter even conceded that the attacks risked starting a major war on the peninsula that would lead to tens of thousands of deaths, but insisted it would “be worth it” to destroy North Korea’s nuclear plant.

Carter was also typical of the anti-Iran hawks in arguing that deterrence doesn’t work against Iran because of its “extremist ideology,” and claiming that even a civilian Iranian nuclear program would threaten the entire region, and repeatedly insisted that military action was a vital part of a “comprehensive strategy” against Iran.

International, Police State, Politics, US

Russia and North Korea Accuse the U.S. of Human Rights Violations in Ferguson

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An outbreak of protests were reignited on Monday, after the Grand Jury announced its decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting that killed 18-year-old Michael Brown. Those protests, which in some cases led to rioting and looting, were met by a militarized police force in the city of Ferguson.

The United States’ response to the protests has drawn criticism from countries like Russia and North Korea, which have been previously criticized by the U.S. for human rights violations.

The Guardian reported that both officials in Moscow and pro-Kremlin bloggers are comparing the recent events in Ferguson to “the Maidan protests in Kiev which began a year ago and ended in February with the overthrow of the Ukrainian president,” and claiming that there is a “double standard in Washington supporting the protesters in Kiev but clamping down on them at home.”

A statement from the human rights commissioner for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Konstantin Dolgov, criticized the United States for using “military methods against peaceful civilians,” which are only “likely to further inflame the situation.”

“Such a massive explosion of public indignation and the disproportionate reaction of law enforcement bodies confirm again that this is no isolated incident but a systemic flaw in American democracy, which has failed to overcome a deep racial split, discrimination and inequality.“

Dolgov went on to say that the United States should focus more on the problems it has in its own country, before criticizing other countries:

“The recent events in Ferguson are the latest and most worrying sign yet to American authorities that it is finally time for them to focus on the serious internal problems they have with human rights, using the recommendations of international human rights organizations, rather than using their efforts on pointless and fruitless lectures and propagandistic moralizing with regards to other countries.”

A spokesman for the North Korea Foreign Ministry also released a statement criticizing the United States for its inconsistent human rights standards:

“This is clear proof of the real picture of the U.S. as a tundra of human rights, where extreme racial discrimination acts are openly practiced,” said the spokesman. “The great irony is that the U.S. tries to measure other countries with its wrong human rights standard, though it is a typical human rights abuser.”

Yahoo News reported that North Korea’s criticism came just a week after the United Nations “adopted a landmark resolution urging the Security Council to refer North Korea’s leaders to the International Criminal Court for possible indictment on crimes against humanity.”

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, released a statement urging the United States to practice “restraint,” and to find a “determined effort to root out institutionalized discrimination.”

“It is clear that, at least among some sectors of the population, there is a deep and festering lack of confidence in the fairness of the justice and law enforcement systems,” said Zeid. “I urge the U.S. authorities to conduct in-depth examinations into how race-related issues are affecting law enforcement and the administration of justice, both at the federal and state levels.”

International, US

One American detained in North Korea is freed, but two more remain

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Jeffrey Fowle, who was arrested and has been detained in North Korea since May for leaving a Bible behind in his hotel room, has been released from the country, but two more Americans are still behind bars in North Korea.

Fowle is reportedly already out of the country, and according to CNN, the news of his release was only made public after the plane he was on landed in Guam.  State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, according to NBC News, Fowle has been seen by a doctor already and appears to be in good health.

The North Korean government arrested Fowle on suspicion of trying to proselytize more Christian followers through the act of leaving his Bible behind.  While there are many state-run churches within North Korea, the government does not allow independent religious activities to take place for fear of undermining their authority.  Independent religious activities are considered any actions pertaining to a religious organization which is not under the control of the North Korean government.

While the White House welcomed the news of Fowle’s release and thanked the Swedish government for their part in securing transport for Fowle out of North Korea, officials are still working on arranging the release of Americans Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae from the country.

“While this is a positive decision by the DPRK,”said the State Department, according to the Guardian, “we remain focused on the continued detention of Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller and again call on the DPRK to immediately release them.”

Bae was arrested by the North Korean government under charges of “hostile acts to bring down the government.”  The government claims he was part of a Christian based plot to overthrow the North Korean government.  Bae, as well as the other prisoners, was allowed an interview with CNN, and Bae reported he was being held in a labor camp where he worked six days a week for eight hours.

The charges Miller is facing are not clear as he told the CNN interview he would find those out when he went to trial.  As of now, the North Korean government is accusing him of tearing up his tourist visa, but whether this is true or not and what charges might arise from this, are unclear.

The State Department and government are still trying to make a deal for the secure release of the Bae and Miller.