War of Buttons: North Korea Nuclear Proliferation
There's no place on Earth like North Korea, the so called “hermit nation”. Its citizens are closed off from the rest of the world, mostly impoverished and are only allowed to access state-run propaganda. Currently North Korea and it's "supreme leader" Kim Jong Un have been names that no one can miss. North Korea has been proliferating nuclear weapons provoking people around the world. From late 2002 there have been speculation of the regime working on Nuclear weapons. However in October 2006 it had claimed that it has successfully tested its first nuclear weapon. Just recently on September 3rd 2017 North Korea tested its sixth nuclear weapon, Pyongyang claimed that this was a Hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on an intercontinental missile. If these claims are true then that means that this weapon ,which is eight times as big as the one dropped on Hiroshima, could reach almost anywhere around the world. That is something we should worry about.
What is the NPT?
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, NPT as it is commonly known as is a treaty, which aims to prevent the spread and proliferation of Nuclear weapons. North Korea announced its withdrawal from the NPT in 2003. Under this treaty the regime could not build nuclear weapons. North Korea blamed the United States "aggression" as the reason for the North's withdrawal. North Korea joined India, Pakistan and Israel who had never signed the treaty.
What has the UN done?
So far the UN has taken some actions but (obviously) they have been proved ineffective. The list is long -1993, 2006, 2012, 2013 are all the years when the UN put sanctions and resolutions "condemning" the regime's actions. But the North's nuclear programme persists, moving ahead with full force. Different countries blame different reasons for the UN's ineffectiveness. Countries like USA (That have a bitter history with North Korea) and Japan (Which has experienced a nuclear bomb before and is North Korea's neighbour) think that the sanctions are not punishing enough. They believe that the UN needs to take a harder stand and push North Korea more to get it to stop its controversial programme. Some countries have a softer stance and think that sanctions are not working, instead North Korea should be provided benefits for abandoning its program. They believe that it should be reunited with the world instead of sending it deeper into isolationism.
Donald Trump vs Kim Jong Un?
The United States has been involved in the Korean region all the way back in 1950 when the korean war started. US troops had aided South Korea and had convinced the UN to send aid to the South during the Korean War. Many in the regime blame US for the Korean war and refer to them as the "cunning American wolves". Tensions were always present but were never as upfront as the recent quarrels between President Trump and Kim Jong Un. This has been extremely worrying for people and leaders alike, around the world.
North Korea at the Olympics?
North Korea has sent a delegation of athletes, cheerleaders and artists to the recent South Korean Winter Olympics. This has been meant to show a sign of willingness to cooperate. North Korean athletes are going to compete in figure skating, skiing and ice hockey events. A unified team of the North and South will be playing Ice-Hockey against other teams. Kim Jong-Un's sister also made her historic visit to the event. She has been labeled by the South's Media as "North Korea's Ivanka". She met with South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in and extended an invitation to meet her brother in North Korea. However, not everyone bought into the North's charm. Vice-President Pence said "We will not allow North Korean propaganda to hijack the message and imagery of the Olympic Games", after having a meeting with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. "We'll be there to cheer our athletes, but we'll also be there to stand with our allies and remind the world that North Korea is the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet." he continued.
Is a Nuclear war possible?
The rhetoric between Kim Jong Un and Trump are not the first time that things have gotten "personal" between both nations. The first question that must be answered is how much impact do these leaders actually have when it comes to war? Political scientists have always argued that the leader, whether it be the president or a dictator do have some influence in determining when a country goes to war. However, only banter will not be enough for war to be possible. There are many other factors that will prevent war from breaking out easily. Things like geography, with the South Korea and China not wanting war (albeit for different reasons), matters. Also the military power of each nation is strong so both sides know that this will be a long and messy war.
This is not implying that these leaders can do whatever they want and war is impossible (its not). These leaders need to accept their responsibility and work (tweet, speak) diplomatically. I believe that there is no single solution that will magically appear to solve this problem. But the first thing that needs to be done is for people like Kim Jong-Un and Trump to realize that fighting like kids is not the answer. Because Einstein had a point when he said "I know not with what weapons will World War 3 be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."