North Korea announced Monday that it had conducted its first nuclear weapons test, confirming once and for all that the country has been and is still seriously developing a nuclear weapons program. While there is currently much speculation regarding the success of the test, it should nevertheless be a catalyst for the United States and its allies to develop a firm policy for dealing with North Korea. One that works toward stopping proliferation of nuclear technology in the country immediately.
Since North Korea first declared that it was going to quit the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1993, its aim to develop nuclear weapons technology has been clear. And, although the U.S. and its allies worked thereafter on negotiating with North Korea, the threat posed by the country has been dangerously ignored or exacerbated by the U.S. during the past five years. Before any talks with North Korea were conducted during the Bush administration, the President labeled the country as part of an “axis of evil” and a year later North Korea quit the Nuclear Nonproliferation treaty. The talks that occurred subsequently were totally unproductive.
While North Korea’s nuclear ambitions would not have been completely quelled by talks with the Bush administration pre-axis-of-evil-accusations, our country probably could have done more to stall North Korea’s nuclear capacity, had negotiations been attempted before comparisons with terrorists were made.
Before this crisis progresses any further, immediate action must be taken. We cannot afford to repeat our past mistake of not treating North Korea like the serious threat it is. Analysts are occupying themselves by discussing the apparent failure of the test, pointing to the relatively small output as evidence that North Korea does not currently have the capacity to launch a nuclear attack or provide to other countries nuclear weapons of any great magnitude. This may be a comforting analysis as it eliminates the possibility of an immediate threat, but it ignores the fact that while North Korea may not have perfected its nuclear technology now, it will most likely be able to given enough time.
There is no foolproof way of dealing with the situation. The world cannot meet the threat of violence with violence. Attacking North Korea is not the correct solution at this time. Likewise, however, the world cannot afford the allow North Korea to get away with what it has in to past; a new compromise has to contain stricter consequences than denying North Korea promised aid as it is evident that, when denied aid (or angered in some other way), the country simply resumes its nuclear program. The U.S. must develop a new policy with its allies that confronts the crisis in North Korea while recognizing that the country’s nuclear capacity is stronger than ever.
