Waltz on Trump vs. N. Korea: Someone Stood up to the Schoolyard Bully & ‘Punched Back’
MacCALLUM: "Trace, thank you. More here tonight lieutenant Michael Walt green beret commander. And author of eternal — good to have you here. Michael waltz, let me start with you. Does it appear that what the White House did here worked?"
WALTZ: "Well, Martha, finally someone stood up to the school yard bully and punched back. And I think what we’ve seen for decades here is that the North Koreans weren’t used to that look at the recent op-ed from former national security advisor Susan Rice who said we need to get used to it. We need to accept that north Korea is going to have a nuclear arsenal and be able to hold the region and the United States hostage. So I think that was incredibly effective. But, we cannot get complacent. We cannot rest on our laurels. We have to maintain pressure on China. The North Koreans are very good at ratcheting up tensions and then ratcheting them down and staying just below that threshold of war, meantime they are buying time to improve their icbms to get more mobile launchers to go from liquid fuel to solid fuel, which means they can launch faster and even develop a submarine capability. So we have to keep the pressure up."
MacCALLUM: "I mean it’s clear that this is far from over. But, Jamie, let me turn to you because I can’t remember a time when we saw this sort of dynamic where you have China banning some of the major imports that north Korea sends to them. And that combination with the threat that China says we don’t have your back. If they come after you, we don’t have your back. That’s different."
WALTZ: "It’s not that different. Basically, the United States lost this exchange with North Korea over the last week. Think about it where were we one week ago? We already had five rounds of sanctions by the united States against — and the U.N. Against North Korea. Now we have a sixth. Very much a continuation of the policy. North Korea was never attack Guam. So we have had this whole exchange where the president of the United States comes down for the first time ever comes down to the rhetorical level of the leader of north Korea and we’re hurling insults back and forth. And then at the end of the week, people are saying oh it’s this big victory that North Korea didn’t attack Guam. They were never going to do that because that would be suicidal. They have known that for 70 years. I don’t know why people are saying North Korea blinked because North Korea won this exchange and we will see what happens next."
MacCALLUM: "Michael, what do you think about that?"
WALTZ: "Frankly, I disagree. You know, look, the north Koreans are used to this kind of passive approach. Look, the entire world over the last 8 years was used to a passive approach, whether it was Russia. Whether it was Putin. You know, you name it. They were used to basically the United States back pedaling and I think at this point we made a stand and we took a stand. And I think it took the president of the united States to make that — to have that kind of shock and awe rhetoric so to speak to change the Chinese calculus and change the north Korean calculus. Until this point the Chinese and the North Koreans believe that they have to have an arsenal in order to basically for the regime to survive. Now, I think there is a growing question in that part of the world on whether if they get an arsenal will they survive and the Chinese, I hope, you know, it remains to be seep because they have played us before. But the Chinese may now be seeing the North Koreans as more of a problem than they’re worth. But we have to maintain the pressure. They have both done this before.
MacCALLUM: "Both things are true. I don’t think we have seen this behavior from China in quite this way. And we also know that the game will continue and it goes on. But has the chess board shifted a little bit in this dynamic? And that may be something that is due to the moves that we have seen from the Trump Administration. So, in terms of Iran, quick thought on that. Jamie, rouhani has said he would turn the power back on to the Iranian nuclear program in a heart beat if we file through with the sanctions."
WALTZ: "The United States is pushing forward with sanctions because north Korea or, I mean, sorry, because Iran has violated U.N. Security Council resolutions on ballistic missiles."
MacCALLUM: "Shocking."
WALTZ: "If Iran chooses to withdraw from the nuclear accord, that’s their decision and then the sanctions will automatically slap back. And so that is something that is up to them to take that decision if they do, there will be consequences.
MacCALLUM: "Michael, quick thought."
WALTZ: "Look, the Iranians can’t have it both ways. On the one hand they want their ballistic missile program, the American hostages that they have taken, the terrorism they are supporting across the region to be outside of the nuclear agreement. But on the other hand, when we start holding them accountable for all those actions, which we are doing now with additional sanctions, then it’s back to — it’s essentially an excuse to tear up the deal. So, you know, we have to maintain the pressure. Again, I think it’s something that the world is not used to. America taking a strong stance. And really hold the Iranians accountable and particularly, as I mentioned before, for the American hostages that they are holding right now."
