Former CIA chief John Brennan puts chance of North Korean conflict at 20 to 25 percent

27/10/2017

Former CIA Director John Brennan says he’s worried about President Trump’s handling of North Korea, and he feels the possibility of military engagement is now “too high.”.

“I think the prospects of military conflict in the Korean peninsula are greater than they have been in several decades,” he said during a Q-and-A session at Fordham University in New York Wednesday evening. “I don’t think it’s likely or probable, but if it’s a 1-in-4 or 1-in-5 chance, that’s too high.”

Asked whether that was how he’d rate the chances, Brennan responded, “Yeah, I guess I would.” The public back-and-forth between Kim Jong Un and Mr. Trump is “not the way to de-escalate,” he said, adding that he hoped Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is, as Tillerson has said, pursuing a diplomatic solution, perhaps through back channels in a way that could enable both leaders to “save face.”