US designates victims of terrorism its sponsors: Analyst
The United States usually designates countries as sponsors of terrorism if they are victims of terrorism, says James Jatras, a former American Senate foreign policy adviser.
Jatras made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump declared North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism.
“The designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism is pretty much just a formality. Whether or not there is a basis for designating them as such, I am not really in position to state. It really isn’t that important to tell the truth,” Jatras said.
“In terms of putting additional sanctions on North Korea, there is not much else that we can do to them than we have already done so far. The designation means very little in that regard,” he added.
“This is simply one of the standard tools that the US government tends to use against any country crosses the line with Washington because of one reason or the other,” the analyst said.
“I can remember that in the 1990s under Clinton we designated Serbia as a state sponsor of terrorism even though it was a victim of terrorism not a sponsor of it,” he stated.
“So there is actually nothing remarkable to tell the truth. It’s simply another effort politically to ratchet up pressure on North Korea to no particular purpose that I can see,” he concluded.
The situation between the United States and North Korea has reached a very dangerous level and Trump instead of taking an initiative to lessen the tensions, has announced another hostile move against Pyongyang which is already under a wide array of US and UN sanctions.
The Trump administration has warned the United States is ready to use its nuclear weapons against the country if it continues to threaten Washington or its allies.
North Korea has warned that it is “inevitable” that Pyongyang will launch a missile toward the mainland United States in revenge for Trump’s insults against Kim Jong-un.
And, Kim has said that Trump is "a rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire," who is "unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country."
The terror designation of North Korea was lifted by then US President George W. Bush in 2008, but Trump on Monday re-imposed it as a method of ratcheting up the pressure on Pyongyang.
Biden set to lose re-election over his genocidal policy in Gaza: US journalist
Frightful Biden-Trump rematch planned for November: Analyst
US Empire controlling people's minds to maintain hegemony: Scholar
Iran: Awakened world public opinion determined to stop Israel war crimes
US House speaker wants National Guard to quell pro-Palestine student protests
Iran, Russia sign MoU to strengthen security cooperation
VIDEO | Iran marks defeat of US military operation in Tabas Desert
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
US troopers crack down on pro-Palestinian protests at University of Texas
VIDEO | German warship departs Red Sea as EU 'naval mission' fails
VIDEO | Palestinians inspect rubble of destroyed building in Rafah
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
