U.S. DIPLOMACY AND THE PACIFIC

All eyes are on the Pacific Region, as the rhetoric ensues among the United States, North and South Korea, Japan, and China.  The reliance on the highly-educated and experienced diplomats of our State Department has been relegated to a back seat as the President tweets off-the-cuff remarks and engages in trade wars at a "speed-dating" pace.  Hawai`i's strategic importance as a location of critical military installations places us in alarming danger, should an act of aggression occur.  We must insist on adherence to the advisement of State Department career officers who understand the nuances of dealing with foreign countries.