The President's Daily Brief - January 24th, 2024: Kim’s War Path, Ukraine Aid Crisis, & NATO’s Expansion

Episode Date: January 24, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   We turn our attention to the far east, where analysts are increasingly concerned that Kim Jong Un has already set his nation on a path to war with the South.   Later on in the program, the US finally runs out of funds for Ukraine as it urges European allies to keep up its support of the embattled nation.   Plus, an update on NATO’s expansion as the final holdouts appear ready to clear the way for Sweden to join the military alliance.   Finally, in today's Back of the Brief, we’ll return to Harvard University, when a professor with a history of anti-Israel rhetoric has been chosen to lead the school’s task force to combat anti-Semitism.   Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.   Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast is sponsored by Blackout Coffee. Kickstart your day with a great cup of American-made Blackout Coffee, family-owned, premium coffee, fresh-roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com, promo code PDB for 20% off your first purchase. It's Wednesday, 24 January. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed.

First up, we turn our attention to the Far East, where analysts are increasingly concerned that North Korea's Kim Jong-un has already set his nation on a path to war with the South. Later on in the program, the U.S. finally runs out of funds for Ukraine, as it urges European allies to keep up their support of the embattled nation. Plus, an update on NATO's expansion as the final holdouts appear ready to clear the way for Sweden to join the military alliance. And finally, in today's back of the brief, we'll return to Harvard University, where a professor with a history of anti-Israel rhetoric has been chosen to lead the school's task force to combat anti-Semitism. Yep, that seems about right. But first up, the PDB spotlight.

In today's spotlight, I wanted to shift our focus from the Middle East to the Korean Peninsula. While the world's attention has been largely focused on the chaos in Gaza and the surrounding region, a series of recent events in North Korea have some analysts on edge, and they're suggesting that Kim Jong-un may already have decided to bring his nation to war with South Korea. I want to share a brief passage from a recent analysis by Robert Carlin and Siegfried Hecker, causing a lot of this stir. It was published in 38 North, that's a U.S.-based publication that specializes in North Korean affairs. The pair write, quote, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is more dangerous than it has been at any time since early June 1950. Now, that may sound

overly dramatic, but we believe that, like his grandfather in 1950, Kim Jong-un, has made a strategic decision to go to war. We do not know when or how Kim plans to pull the trip. We do not know when or how Kim plans to pull the trigger, but the danger is already far beyond the routine warnings in Washington's Seoul and Tokyo about Pyongyang's provocations. In other words, they continue to write, we do not see the war preparation themes in North Korean media appearing since the beginning of last year as typical bluster from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. End quote. Their alarm is not just based on the North's usual threats and rhetoric. It stems from a stark change in posture, both diplomatically and militarily. The starkest change is North Korea's recent announcement

that it would no longer pursue reconciliation with the South, and that's a major shift from a policy held since its inception. The country's constitution now labels South Korea as its, quote, primary foe and principal enemy. Adding to this tension, satellite imagery shows the demolition of the so-called reunification arch in Pyongyang. That's a symbol of hope for reconciliation, the South, that destruction was on orders from Kim Jong-un. This is not just a symbolic act. It marks a significant change in North Korea's approach to its neighbor. Furthermore, North Korea has escalated its military provocations. On New Year's day, state media reported Kim Jong-un's vow to annihilate South Korea if provoked. This was followed by artillery fire near the disputed sea boundary

and the testing of a solid fuel intermediate range missile with a hypersonic warhead, along with supposedly nuclear-capable underwater attack drones. These actions directly challenge United Nations Security Council resolutions. And of course, as discussed here on the BDB, during the latter part of 2023, North Korea launched its first spy satellite and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. Additionally, the growing relationship between North Korea, and Russia, raises further concerns. North Korea has emerged as a significant arms supplier to Russia, receiving advanced technology in return. During a recent visit by North Korea's foreign

minister to Moscow, Russia emphasized the importance of its partnership with North Korea, including in, quote, sensitive areas. So the question remains, is North Korea shifting to a war footing, or is this simply more of the same posturing that we have seen in the past? The alliance with Russia and the resulting increase in tech transfer on the military side, well, that's particularly alarming. It's allowing North Korea to speed up its development and sophistication of the country's missile and weapons industries. All right, after the break, the Pentagon runs out of funding for Ukraine as Defense Secretary Austin urges European allies to keep up their support. Plus, NATO is one step closer to gaining a new member as one of the largest

hurdles to Sweden's ascension to the alliance is cleared by the Turkish Parliament. I'll be right back. Welcome back. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made his first appearance on Tuesday since his two-week hospitalization for prostate cancer to make a plea for more aid to Ukraine. At the virtual monthly defense meeting, Austin praised Ukraine's efforts to repel Russian forces since the Putin regime lost their war on Ukraine, but warned that their future hung up. in the balance without greater assistance from the West, according to a report from Politico. The U.S. has been the leading financial and military backer of Ukraine since the war broke out. However, American funds officially dried up at the end of December, 2023, and Congress remains

deadlocked on approving fresh aid. The last allocation for Ukraine was a roughly $250 million package that was sent on December 27th, and that included 155mm rounds and, that included 155mm and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. With the fate of a future aid package uncertain, Secretary Austin is attempting to convince some 50 countries to continue sending ammunition and missiles to Ukraine, warning that any lapse in aid risks giving Putin the edge in the war. Austin said Tuesday, quote,

Let's be clear. Our support for Ukraine's struggle against tyranny makes all of our countries more secure. If we lose our nerve, if we flinch, if we fail to deter other words, would-be aggressors, we will only invite even more bloodshed and more chaos. So a sovereign and secure Ukraine is critical to global security, and we must not waver in our support for Ukraine." Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Tuesday's meeting was about nailing down

commitments that address Ukraine's longer-term needs, particularly now that leaders in Kiev must rely solely on aid from U.S. partners. Austin thanked allies who have risen to the moment and approved security assistance packages for Ukraine to try and bridge the gap left by the U.S. These allies include Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Lawmakers in a fractured Congress in the U.S. remained divided on how to proceed regarding funding for both Ukraine and for Israel in their fight against Hamas. More than $110 billion in proposed aid for both. both countries, along with some for Taiwan, is currently stuck in Congress. The proposed aid package

earmarks roughly 60 billion for Ukraine. The sticking point between the two parties remains border security, with the Republican majority of the U.S. House of Representatives demanding that the Biden administration take meaningful action to address the spiraling border crisis before any more aid is sent overseas. Austin, who did not acknowledge his health service, scare and the subsequent fallout during his remarks, said he looks forward to returning to the Pentagon in person very soon. Now, I've probably used the word dysfunctional too many times here on the PDB when describing congressional and Senate activity or inactivity on Capitol Hill. But I really don't know how else to describe the current stalemate between the two parties in the White House when it

comes to the issues of border security and aid packages for Ukraine and Israel. You wouldn't think that normal people could figure out a way to link those two, but the politicians have done it. Just a couple of basic points here. You can't have a secure nation. You can't protect your citizens and maintain national security without secure borders. It's just not possible. So you would think that would be a priority issue for the White House and both parties. And on the issue of the issue of of Ukraine. Without continued military support from the West, Ukraine will eventually lose. One-on-one, they are not winning a war of attrition against Russia. All right, shifting our focus to NATO. After nearly two years of opposition to Sweden's bid, the Turkish Parliament voted Tuesday

to approve Sweden's membership into the alliance. The vote came after the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission approved the bid last month, and it will now be sent to Turkish President and Erdogan to sign into law, according to a Bloomberg report. Fearing for their own security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland ditched their decades-long position of neutrality and applied to join NATO in May of 2022. While Finland was formally accepted to NATO in April of 2023, Sweden faced significant opposition from Turkey, as well as Hungary. Turkey had insisted that Sweden do more to combat the activities of separatist groups banned in Turkey, such as the Kurdistan Workers Party. While they maintained

that they were in compliance with NATO's membership criteria, Sweden did agree to work with their Turkish counterparts to address any ongoing security concerns, to strengthen their own terrorism laws, and to lift certain arms export restrictions on Turkey. Turkey's acceptance of Sweden was also contingent on the U.S. approving the sale of F-16 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, which the Turkish government has long sought to modernize their air force. Although nothing is final, the U.S. government is expected to move forward on the issue once they have confirmation that Turkey has signed off on the documents related to Sweden's NATO bid. With Turkey on board, that leaves Hungary as the final roadblock to Sweden joining NATO.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been a holdout, despite saying his government, in principle, supports Sweden's admission into NATO. Hungary has never presented any conditions to leaders in Stockholm regarding what they could do to accelerate Hungary's acceptance of their bid. Orban, however, has suggested that rhetoric from Swedish lawmakers, criticizing his government's erosion of democratic norms, which he calls blatant lies, has made Hungarian lawmakers uneasy. Despite these vague criticisms,

it appears that Orban is finally willing to put the issue to rest. On Tuesday, he sent a letter to his Swedish counterpart, Oof Christerson, inviting him to Budapest to discuss NATO membership. In the letter, Orban reportedly said that a more intensive political dialogue could help in reinforcing the mutual trust between the two countries. Swedish foreign minister, Tobias Bilstrom, did not indicate whether or not Sweden would accept the invitation, saying that while Sweden has no reason to negotiate with Hungary regarding NATO membership, the central thing for us had said is to continue to have a good and constructive dialogue with Budapest. If approved, Sweden would become the 32nd member of the NATO alliance.

All right, coming up in the back of the brief, Harvard University is once again under fire. We'll look at the recent uproar surrounding its presidential task force on combating anti-Semitism and the interim president's strange choice of an anti-Israel professor to lead the group. I'll be right back. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot Machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package.

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Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. In today's back of the brief, let's dip back into the ongoing controversy at Harvard University. I mean, it's always nice to know what kind of mischief the academic elites are getting up to. If you'll remember, back in early December, now former Harvard, President, Claudine Gay, along with the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and MIT,

refused to say that calling for the genocide of Jews constituted hate speech. Gaye ultimately resigned from her position earlier this month after plagiarism allegations surfaced, because apparently arguing that calling for the genocide of Jews didn't necessarily meet the school's definition of bullying, well, that wasn't reason enough to step down. Now, one of the steps Harvard is taking to clean up this mess is the launch of a, he's so-called presidential task force on combating anti-Semitism. And that sounds extra grand. Interim President Alan Garber in a press release stated that the task force's mandate is to scrutinize the recent history of anti-Semitism on campus, uncover its root causes, and propose measures

to mitigate its impact on Harvard University. Well, here's a thought. Rather than the Progressive's constant default position of looking for root causes of a problem, how about you just have consequences for bad behavior and rule-breaking. Anyway, the university's choice of leadership for this task force is actually sparking fresh controversy. Co-chairing the group is a professor by the name of Derek Penzlar, a renowned scholar in Jewish history. Pencilar's past positions and comments, particularly regarding Israel, have raised eyebrows. Notably, he was one of over 2,900 signatories of a letter last year, labeling Israel as an apartheid state intent on denying Palestinians' equal rights and cleansing

its territories of Palestinian inhabitants. Pensler also published a book last year entitled Zionism, An Emotional State, and in it, he asserts that Israel's displacement of Palestinians and the ongoing oppression of those remaining have, quote, made it one of the most disliked countries on the planet. Now, I have no doubt that Penciler's writings and stated positions against Israel, they make him a beloved figure on campus among those currently protesting Israel's response to the 7-October Hamas slaughter. This appointment has not only drawn criticism from various quarters, but also from Harvard's own, including the school's former president, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Summers, and a post on X, accused pencillor of downplaying Harvard's anti-Semitism

issue, challenging the U.S. government's definition of anti-Semitism, and describing Israel as an apartheid state. Summers added that while he doesn't believe Vensler is an anti-Semite himself, he's, quote, lost confidence in the ability of Harvard leadership to maintain Harvard as a place where Jews and Israelis can flourish, end quote. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Wednesday, 24 January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.