With North Korea gearing up to launch a rocket into space, America and governments around the world are preparing to respond. Or, at least they should be. According to a NYT article, the Obama’s administration has decided not to try and stop the launch. While this may seem okay, consider that Secretary Gates said, “I don’t know anyone at a senior level in the American government who does not believe this technology is intended as a mask for the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile.” That, along with North Korea’s nuclear program, should put fear into Americans.
Instead, the President chose to focus his efforts on Pakistan and Afghanistan. While this is noble and generally seen as an okay thing to do, this is not the time. North Korea is not considered a stable country, as it is under a communist regime, and steps should be taken to stop inroads that cannot be reversed. If they do launch this rocket, then it spells danger for democratic people across the world. What is probably not going to happen will be a direct launch from North Korea to, say, Japan. No one is a winner in that situation. What worries me is that they could give the technology to groups that intend to do harm, such as Al Qaeda.
This is a serious test for the President. It does not only have an implication in terms of his negotiation skills, but it also concerns the validity of his “diplomacy first” international relations scheme and overall judgment. He appears to be ignoring the advice of his Defense Secretary, which could cost the lives of innocents. This could signal his disregard of the opinions of those with another opinion.
It is also worth considering that the only legitimate threat from another foreign government is from an atomic warhead or other missile. Why should we not protect ourselves anyway? There are always things that are unpredicatable, and this would be a good investment. After all, we spend as much as the rest of the world combined on defense. Who is going to invade us? This would also fit in with President Obama’s non-interventionist policy.
There is, however, undoubtedly more behind the decision that what I have described here. Regardless of any ignorance the public is afflicted with, the resolution of this international situation will forebode partially our nation’s fate for the next four years.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/washington/30military.html?ref=todayspaper
6 comments:
As pointed out by Secretary Gates, this launch could, and possibly should, be considered a method of testing an intercontinental missile. However, “peaceful, commercial, and scientific use of space is protected under international law.”
Your introduction implies that countries are not organizing a response to North Korea’s launch of a rocket. While this is probably true, it does not mean that they are ignorant of the circumstances. On the contrary, they expressly state that they are aware of it. They are certainly alert to the fact that this indicates an improvement in North Korea’s technological situation as it relates to the military. But, what are these countries around the world supposed to do? What are their options? Launching rockets into space is protected; there is no legal reason to prevent it. They cannot without regard to the consequences stop North Korea from launching the rocket through military force. The most feasible option appears to be what they have done; governments are remaining informed about the situation and are possibly making plans “behind the scenes.” Whatever the United States and other countries decide to do with regard to North Korea should remain undisclosed or North Korea might be more inclined to take action.
It is important to note that a “United Nations Security Council resolution specifically bars North Korea from testing missiles and nuclear devices.” This comes as a minor relief. If, following launching the rocket, North Korea becomes more confident in their militaristic ability and believes that they should test a missile they will certainly be stopped.
“Are We Safe?” Thousands of eyes are watching North Korea. Even if they do prepare to launch an intercontinental missile, which is extremely unlikely to the point of being far-fetched, the United States military has the resources and ability to stop it. Indeed, we are safe.
The very thought of North Korea launching a rocket into space should send shivers down spines all across the world. However, even though the news is most disturbing, there is no action that the United States can take to try and stop the launch. Doing so would be immoral and unjustified. It is understood that North Korea is an enemy of this country and that they need to be watched very closely but that is all we can do at this point. Imagine what the consequences would be if the U.S. tried to stop the launch. North Korea would not take the offense lightly and most certainly counter with force of their own. You may state in defense that North Korea is a small country and its military force is nothing compared to that of the United States. This would be a drastically wrong assumption for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the United States is in the middle of not one but two wars at the moment. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq both are in full swing and have been for years. It is doubtful that these wars will be concluded soon as Obama has just sent more troops to these areas. Also, to be quite frank, America doesn’t have the extra resources to be throwing around. This country is funding two wars and suffering a major economic recession. Secondly, and most importantly, is North Korea’s friend, neighbor and big brother: the Communist Republic that is China. The U.S. can’t just start issues with North Korea without China getting involved and this is something that this country does not want to happen. Not only is China funding this country right now as we are in debt beyond imagination and relying on China to supply loans, but China is a force that we do not want to mess with. It has been stated by many that the United State’s reign as the most powerful country in the world will come to end within the decade and fall second to China, which is in its industrial age now and more powerful than ever before. Conflict with China must be avoided.
President Obama needs to use his diplomacy and watch North Korea attentively. If North Korea does start to test nuclear missiles then action does need to take place and a lot of problems could ensue. North Korea is too dangerous to have access to nuclear power. If this situation does arise, it may be possible to see a break in the Chinese-North Korean friendship. After all, China doesn’t want conflict with the whole world. But that is a different situation than the one now and all we can do is wait and be prepared.
North Korea launching a rocket into space should definitely raise the concerns of the United States and other countries around the world. What to do about the concerns is another question entirely. I do not think, at this stage in the game, that President Obama could have done anything other than what he decided to do- not attempt to stop the launch. How do we know that North Korea is not in fact launching this rocket for scientific advancements? The amount of scientific knowledge being uncovered and refined in this day and age is growing exponentially. Who are we to say that North Korea isn't trying to gain new scientific information in an attempt to level the playing field between them and other scientifcally superior countries.
Further, if Obama did do something to try to stop the launch, an entire new can of worms would have been opened that I do not believe the United States can handle or needs to handle at this time. With the economy a pressing issue,resources running scarce, and two wars currently going on, a conflict with North Korea in addition to all of this would not be beneficial by any means.
The fact that President Obama chose not to act now does not mean that he is not giving the issue attention. As leader of this country he, more than anyone, wants to ensure the safety of the country's inhabitants. At this point in time, closely monitoring the situation is the best course of action.
The responses to this news seem to be basically the same. People seem worried that a country that has spoken outwardly about their disgust for America is improving their militarized capabilities but it also seems that America is forced to accept the situation as there is little that they can do about it. As others pointed out there is nothing illegal about this up and coming launch and all that the United States could really do short or an outwardly aggressive attack is voice their displeasure.
Another interesting point to consider is the national pride in North Korea that this is likely to bring. Now it is debatable whether or not an increase in nationalism in North Korea is a good thing for the rest of the world. It is evident that Nationalism is an important part of their culture and therefore this launch is very important to them. To be aggressively against this launch America would be simply feeding the fires of distrust in North Korea. The appropriate actions are being taken which is to closely monitor the launch for any risks. Beyond observation any actions that are taken could be very detrimental to future negotiations.
A Follow-up to “Are We Safe”
Firstly, I would like to thank Kevin F. for acknowledging the importance of this matter. He illustrated that importance by writing a whole other blog post.
Reactionary international policy (our stance pre-9-11) is ill-advised. Dave is intelligent and should realize that. He seems to think that it is a problem with semantics. They can test a “rocket” (to go to space) but not a “missile,” as UN sanctions prohibit. This is a trivial distinction. What the North Koreans are doing clearly is a test, and by not protecting ourselves, we are in harm’s way.
Brandon’s point is valid; the US should avoid a direct confrontation with North Korea. That, however, is not what I was calling for. What I wanted was some sort of insurance policy so that, if a missile (or rocket) goes astray, we can protect ourselves. Brandon is correct: diplomacy is the best solution to this complex problem.
How do we know that they are not planning to use the launch for scientific purposes? It can be assumed that they are, as it would be a huge waste of resources to launch a rocket into space just to test it out. No doubt they want to expand their space program. But it is possible, as I am sure Kristy understands, that there can be more than one reason for acting. This is not a black and white world. What is important, as I said above, is that we do not become reactionary. She is arguing an isolationist viewpoint that surely will not prove effective in the 21st century. As I said above, I am not advocating an invasion, but merely at least a few precautions.
Oaletter seems to echo the thoughts of the previous three.
It was Edmund Burke who said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good me do nothing.” Americans must take heed. I do not argue unilateral military actions but rather employing the international governance bodies to act.
On the front page of the NYT (Monday, April 06, 2009) is an article entitled, “Obama Seizes on Missile Launch in Seeking Nuclear Cuts.” It outlines the speech that he made in Prague (see Kevin F.’s post). He calls upon the nuclear capable world to disarm. The American’s are to lead the way in this. President Obama states that: “Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something.” How seriously the world takes there words will dictate directly the effectiveness of his policies. Thus far, they seem to be working well. Even China and Russia appear to be on the side of President Obama, which is a detachment from the norm.
In short, President Obama is making the right moves and calling the right shots. He seems dedicated to disarming nuclear weapons and preventing the terrorist organizations from obtaining them.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/us/politics/06prexy.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Good news: their rocket failed.
see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/world/asia/06korea.html?ref=todayspaper
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