Summary
Getting Tough On North Korea
North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and provocative behavior have long been a source of concern for the international community. North Korea’s nuclear program, missile tests, human rights abuses, and defiance of international norms have presented a complex and persistent challenge. Especially dealing with Kim Jong Un, who is utterly unpredictable and reckless. A country which does not give “a damn” about anything. North Korea has its way to cut through all the punishment mechanisms other countries impose on it.
Its current alliance with Russia is bit concerning for me; North Korea is like a blindspot for me, when faced repercussions it withdrew from NPT. In addition China is on board with Russia and it shares borders with North Korea and it is in a tug-of-war with the USA. In my opinion, a robust military posture, including defence alliances with South Korea and Japan, serves as a deterrent against North Korean aggression. However, as I have mentioned earlier China plays a pivotal role as North Korea’s main trading partner. Coordinating actions with China is challenging but necessary for effective sanctions.
One reply on “Week-10 Blogpost”
Shamma,
There are MANY things to be concerned about regarding North Korea. First, it is one of the most isolated countries in the world, and its leadership is unpredictable. But it can also be argued that the Kim family has played a very weak hand very well. It does have a fair amount of leverage because Seoul, South Korea is only 26 miles from the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two countries and can be reached with long-range artillery and missiles. I also agree that North Korea’s apparent renewed ties with Russia are very worrisome. During the Cold War, North Korea was effectively a client state of the Soviet Union, but that changed when the Soviet Union ended. Now it appears that the two countries once again are cooperating. –Professor Wallerstein