Serving Bread

North Korea is apparently ready to test a second nuclear device. As recent as last week, President George W. Bush re-affirmed the notion that America will not tolerate or live with a nuclear North Korea and a nuclear Iran. And yet, North Korea (allegedly) is already a nuclear state and Iran will follow in the very near future. America will live with a nuclear North Korea and a nuclear Iran because of failed foreign policy.

Last week, the United Nations Security Council drafted and re-drafted its response to North Korea, which were basically full of condemnations, threats, but no real punitive action against the rogue state. Both conservatives and liberals should be critical of the US foreign policy that has welcomed two new nuclear states–both of which are hostile to Americans. Perhaps the rest of the world is safer since 9/11, but as Americans, two of the three axis of evil states are now armed with more dangerous weapons. It should not be preposterous to initiate a congressional investigation into American foreign policy.

Conservatives will blame our connection to the UN and the democrats for diverting issues and not having a correct worldview to address these threats.

Here are the reasons why we are going to live with a nuclear North Korea (and Iran eventually):

1. Like all technology, nuclear weapons are more accessible and cheaper as time progresses. What may have been a luxury reserved for wealthy countries is now available to many more.
2. American military might all over the world has alienated us from many people. Why were Iranians the only people in the Middle East who spontaneously took to the streets in mourning after 9/11, yet are now no longer sympathetic to Americans? The Koreans and Iranians hate us (and it’s not because we are a peace-loving, freedom-loving people). They are looking for ways to instigate chaos.
3. We cannot afford to fight a war with North Korea. North Korea can afford to fight us because they have the will, the manpower (a million man army) and have very little to lose. If we go to war with North Korea, they will have the capability to inflict damage on all of its neighbors. We cannot take that risk.
4. We do not like to negotiate and compromise. The US refuses to hold talks with North Korea, yet North Korea wants bilateral talks. We have held the line firm in the sand that only six-party talks will do. Rather than compromise on the method of the talks, we have held on our “principles”.
5. We have demonized the regime publicly rather than try to build relationships (regardless of the ideology) for the sake of peace. North Korea may very well be an evil regime, but President Bush chose to not go down the diplomatic route, by demonizing the regime in one of his first State of the Union addresses. (Our propensity to sin should remind us that most people, if not countries, will never swallow their pride for the sake of diplomacy. Why would North Korea submit to American demands at this point?)
6. The North Korean regime is not rational.

Additional reasons regarding Iran more specifically:

1. We are a legitimate threat to them. We control the country to their left and the country to their right.
2. Iran is an Islamic country. We cannot afford to agitate any more problems in the Islamic world

Is it too late? I’m not sure. But the diplomatic process (can we really trust this administration with those two words?) is much more complicated now than ever before. Maybe in a future post, I can write my humble thoughts on what needs to happen to reverse course.

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