By Cancelling the Annual Practice Invasion of North Korea, Trump Betrayed Core American Values

 President Trump's summit with North Korea's leader was unprecedented, and for good reason. No recent president has been foolish enough to engage in such reckless diplomacy.

In case the photo ops and the compliments were not enough to make an American's stomach turn, Trump decided to add insult to patriotic injury at the press conference that followed. That's when he cancelled the annual practice invasion of North Korea.

This is a needless concession that sacrifices critical bargaining leverage. Worse than that, it's a total betrayal of American values--specifically, the quintessential American value of belligerence.*

For many decades, America has been known as steadfastly bellicose. She is feared by her enemies, and feared even more by her friends.

Whatever the issue or pretense, other countries have never had to guess about the American position. The US would reliably stand on the bold side of escalation. Under the predictable leadership of previous administrations, America would prevail against the timid demands of the peace lobby to "exercise caution" or "wait for evidence" or "remember the disaster" allegedly caused by the last intervention. Even a veto from the UN Security Council and the niceties of international law would not prevent the US from using its noble and destructive force.

Now, President Trump appears intent on soiling America's strong reputation with his new North Korea policy.

It didn't have to come to this.

Indeed, President Trump's first year in office offered most national security experts hope that America's foreign policy would remain on the trajectory that has served all of us so well.

He sent more troops to Afghanistan. He loosened the rules of engagement to ensure our American heroes are not shackled by lawyers. He bombed the Syrian regime to defend international norms. And he promised to rain down "fire and fury" and incendiary tweets on the North Koreans.

It's true that he selfishly decided to stop backing Al Qaeda in Syria against the better judgment of the CIA and The Washington Post, but this was a minor setback. On balance, Trump's policies until now had been in line with America's aggressive tradition.

In explaining the new policy, Trump suggested that the mock invasion was "provocative". This is absurd on its face. Would America object if China and Russia held war games in the Gulf of Mexico? Of course not.

But even if his claim was correct, this would be an argument in favor of the exercises, not against them. Without regular provocation, tensions with North Korea could ease. Before we know it, peace treaties could be signed, normalization could occur, and our American troops, who have bravely served as dispensable human shields on the 38th Parallel for years, could be sent home.

Where would we be then? High and dry and entirely without pretext for maintaining a military presence in the region. One shudders to imagine such a dark world.

We urge President Trump to reconsider this dangerous peace offensive. We cannot make America great again by abandoning our core value of aggression.

*This is a satirical post. The actual views of the Editorial Board are much more objectionable.