The conflict between North and South Korea has raged on for decades, and nothing has changed. North Korea has threatened South Korea over decades to reinvigorate the Korean War, but until now, none of their technology has proven effective or capable to do so.
Recently, North Korea launched a long-ranged rocket that shocked Japan, America, and South Korea. All three quickly realized that North Korea may soon be able to produce inter-continental missiles, leading to destruction on a global level. This fear has brought safety concerns and some are debating whether military action is necessary. However, the rocket simply put a weather satellite into orbit, and North Korea claims there is no military incentive behind it. Most of the UN is debating if they should step up action on North Korea beyond simple embargoes, as that seems to have no effect, North Korea simply goes on to do what it pleases with no concern for its warnings.
Defense agencies world wide now accept that Kim Jong Un has some credibility now, and the Washington defense administration believes that the launch is cover for missiles targeted at the United States. There are thoughts that the missile launch could still be a failure because of a previous launch in the Spring of 2012 where a missile test failed from North Korea. I for one, believe that this should be a sign for nations world wide, but especially Japan, South Korea, and America, to step up their defense and prepare for an attack. The details on a simple rocket launch into orbit is still really fuzzy and nobody is quite sure of everything that happened 100%. If North Korea was to launch a nuclear missile, there could not be enough time to prepare for the oncoming attack. Because of this, I believe that the Obama administration has to step up funding for defense and be ready for an attack, even if it is just threats right now.
Although I do understand that our economy is not suited for such action, I believe that it is necessary to do so. If we do not defend ourselves, there is no telling if there will be an economy for us to bring back. A nuclear armaggedon might be in store for us. Plus, if we avoid a war, that could save lives instead of save money. In the end, it's America's choice which one we want.
As North Korea violates more and more U.N. sanctions, I wonder how many rules it will take for the countries in the U.N. to draw the line and commence a counter-attack of some sort. If we keep shaking our heads at every law broken, sooner or later it'll be too late and we will no longer have any law to defend.
Works Cited
Kim, Jack, and Mayumi Negishi.
"North Korea Rocket Launch Raises Nuclear Stakes." Reuters.
Thomson Reuters, 12 May 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/12/us-korea-north-rocket-idUSBRE8BB02K20121212>.
"North Korea Successfully
Launches Long-range Rocket." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 24
Feb. 2013. <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57558644/north-korea-successfully-launches-long-range-rocket/>.
Ramstad, Evan. "North Korea
Claims Success in Rocket Launch." Wall Street Journal. N.p., n.d.
Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324024004578174000078592218.html>.
I agree that we need to be better prepared for a nuclear attack. If a country such as North Korea, one who is not fond of the US, develops a missile that could be lethal to citizens of the United States, actions need to be taken to secure the safety of the citizens. However I am unsure of how much military actions should be taken. I feel that if the US launched an attack first, North Korea would be more likely to send a strike. I believe that educating citizens on what to do in the chance of an attack would be beneficial, and as the threat grows we can look farther into more options, such as military action.
ReplyDeleteWe should be wary of an attack, but not go too crazy about it like we did during the cold war era. While countries such as Iran and North Korea are definitely threats to national security and need to be taken seriously, both of these countries have not yet developed capabilities to reach the US with a missile. Until these countries have demonstrated the range and determination to attack the United States, we should be cautious, but not paranoid.
ReplyDeleteI believe that countries like Iran and North Korea should be more open about their missile use, and we certainly shouldn't be quick to attack. More investigations and more inquiry is necessary before initiating hostilities against any nation, not just volatile ones. A war with either of those countries is not necessarily imminent, so preparing for an impending war that will never come into existence would adversely affect the economy.
ReplyDeleteNice structure and use of concession. Again, revise for wordiness - ie, two "now"s in the first sentence of the third paragraph. Also, use details from your articles with citations for a more concrete argument.
ReplyDelete