Threatening to “Totally Destroy North Korea” Is Just Dumb

At the United Nations yesterday, Donald Trump threatened to “totally destroy North Korea” if the United States “is forced to defend itself or tis allies.”  I am not an expert on international law or the laws of war, but talking about “totally destroy[ing] North Korea” does not sound appropriate to me.  It seems to me to be against the laws of war and against international law.

I realize some people might think the idea of “laws” applying to war sounds silly, but it isn’t.  There are such rules, and they matter.  And among them is that you don’t indiscriminately target civilians, which sounds like what President Trump was threatening yesterday.¹ 

Obviously, civilians die in war.  But to threaten to “totally destroy” not just a country’s military and its armaments, etc., but the entire country seems to me to be against the laws of war.²  And our military people know it.  They know it would be improper for them to carry out such an order, even if it came from the President.³ 

I don’t know why President Trump is threatening things like this.  I cannot see how this reassures our allies.  Which makes me wonder if it really deters North Korea.  And it is totally unfair to our military to threaten things that they know they should not do.
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¹ Also, I am not sure why President Trump thinks that Kim Jong Un, or other top leaders of North Korea, care about the regular people of North Korea.
² This is not the same situation as when the United States and the USSR faced off with nuclear missiles during the Cold War.
³ “I was merely following orders” hasn’t worked as an excuse or defense since at least Nuremberg.  Our military knows that even if President Trump doesn’t.