Comments on: Opinion: North Korea and the Bomb http://nextgenjournal.com/2009/07/opinion-fallout-3-and-north-korea/ The One-Stop Site for College Students: News, Politics, Sports, Entertainment, Technology, College Life, and More Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:59:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Tom Grant http://nextgenjournal.com/2009/07/opinion-fallout-3-and-north-korea/comment-page-1/#comment-167 Tom Grant Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:36:26 +0000 http://nextgenjournal.com/?p=521#comment-167 Myles, to a certain extent, you are right. It is generally not the right of one country to prevent another from acquiring nuclear weapons. When all the nations involved are being civil toward one another and simply attempting to build up their own defenses for the good of their people, any intervention would certainly be hypocritical. <br><br>However, my beef is that the North Koreans are not just acquiring nuclear weapons, but threatening to USE them at the slightest provocation. They also refuse to sign on to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. While this may seem like a small distinction to make, I think it is of the greatest importance. In the same way that an individual who makes a threat with the intention of following through with it has committed a crime in the United States, the North Korean government is antagonizing and threatening the US and other law-abiding nations and should be dealt with. Now, whether they should "use force to stop N. Korea from acquiring nukes" is up for debate. If, by force, you mean armed force in a military sense, then I certainly agree that is out of the question at the moment. But I do think that something needs to be done - personally, I think that antagonistic states such as North Korea should be diplomatically 'exiled' and excluded from international commerce until they renounce their threats and petty insults. That decision, though, is (thankfully) not mine to make. <br><br>Regardless, protecting yourself from someone who has made a threat against you isn't hypocrisy, it's common sense. Myles, to a certain extent, you are right. It is generally not the right of one country to prevent another from acquiring nuclear weapons. When all the nations involved are being civil toward one another and simply attempting to build up their own defenses for the good of their people, any intervention would certainly be hypocritical.

However, my beef is that the North Koreans are not just acquiring nuclear weapons, but threatening to USE them at the slightest provocation. They also refuse to sign on to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. While this may seem like a small distinction to make, I think it is of the greatest importance. In the same way that an individual who makes a threat with the intention of following through with it has committed a crime in the United States, the North Korean government is antagonizing and threatening the US and other law-abiding nations and should be dealt with. Now, whether they should “use force to stop N. Korea from acquiring nukes” is up for debate. If, by force, you mean armed force in a military sense, then I certainly agree that is out of the question at the moment. But I do think that something needs to be done – personally, I think that antagonistic states such as North Korea should be diplomatically 'exiled' and excluded from international commerce until they renounce their threats and petty insults. That decision, though, is (thankfully) not mine to make.

Regardless, protecting yourself from someone who has made a threat against you isn't hypocrisy, it's common sense.

]]> By: Tom Grant http://nextgenjournal.com/2009/07/opinion-fallout-3-and-north-korea/comment-page-1/#comment-98 Tom Grant Sun, 09 Aug 2009 04:36:26 +0000 http://nextgenjournal.com/?p=521#comment-98 Myles, to a certain extent, you are right. It is generally not the right of one country to prevent another from acquiring nuclear weapons. When all the nations involved are being civil toward one another and simply attempting to build up their own defenses for the good of their people, any intervention would certainly be hypocritical. <br><br>However, my beef is that the North Koreans are not just acquiring nuclear weapons, but threatening to USE them at the slightest provocation. They also refuse to sign on to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. While this may seem like a small distinction to make, I think it is of the greatest importance. In the same way that an individual who makes a threat with the intention of following through with it has committed a crime in the United States, the North Korean government is antagonizing and threatening the US and other law-abiding nations and should be dealt with. Now, whether they should "use force to stop N. Korea from acquiring nukes" is up for debate. If, by force, you mean armed force in a military sense, then I certainly agree that is out of the question at the moment. But I do think that something needs to be done - personally, I think that antagonistic states such as North Korea should be diplomatically 'exiled' and excluded from international commerce until they renounce their threats and petty insults. That decision, though, is (thankfully) not mine to make. <br><br>Regardless, protecting yourself from someone who has made a threat against you isn't hypocrisy, it's common sense. Myles, to a certain extent, you are right. It is generally not the right of one country to prevent another from acquiring nuclear weapons. When all the nations involved are being civil toward one another and simply attempting to build up their own defenses for the good of their people, any intervention would certainly be hypocritical.

However, my beef is that the North Koreans are not just acquiring nuclear weapons, but threatening to USE them at the slightest provocation. They also refuse to sign on to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. While this may seem like a small distinction to make, I think it is of the greatest importance. In the same way that an individual who makes a threat with the intention of following through with it has committed a crime in the United States, the North Korean government is antagonizing and threatening the US and other law-abiding nations and should be dealt with. Now, whether they should “use force to stop N. Korea from acquiring nukes” is up for debate. If, by force, you mean armed force in a military sense, then I certainly agree that is out of the question at the moment. But I do think that something needs to be done – personally, I think that antagonistic states such as North Korea should be diplomatically 'exiled' and excluded from international commerce until they renounce their threats and petty insults. That decision, though, is (thankfully) not mine to make.

Regardless, protecting yourself from someone who has made a threat against you isn't hypocrisy, it's common sense.

]]> By: mylesphillips http://nextgenjournal.com/2009/07/opinion-fallout-3-and-north-korea/comment-page-1/#comment-75 mylesphillips Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:37:32 +0000 http://nextgenjournal.com/?p=521#comment-75 I disagree that noone in the international community is taking the North Korea threat seriously. Obviously the international community recognizes how great a threat N. Korea acquiring nukes would cause. Allowing another country to acquire nuclear weapons would create a slippery slope and even opens the possibility of an arms race--who is to say which countries can and cannot have nuclear weapons? The international community knows that an arms race is bad, but countries who house nuclear weapons have no grounds to use force to stop N. Korea from acquiring nukes without appearing hypocritical themselves. I disagree that noone in the international community is taking the North Korea threat seriously. Obviously the international community recognizes how great a threat N. Korea acquiring nukes would cause. Allowing another country to acquire nuclear weapons would create a slippery slope and even opens the possibility of an arms race–who is to say which countries can and cannot have nuclear weapons? The international community knows that an arms race is bad, but countries who house nuclear weapons have no grounds to use force to stop N. Korea from acquiring nukes without appearing hypocritical themselves.

]]> By: Alex Jaksha http://nextgenjournal.com/2009/07/opinion-fallout-3-and-north-korea/comment-page-1/#comment-57 Alex Jaksha Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:21:22 +0000 http://nextgenjournal.com/?p=521#comment-57 Right on. I've been saying that about Resolution 1874 for years now. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Everyone else is so complacent about it. Right on. I've been saying that about Resolution 1874 for years now. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Everyone else is so complacent about it.

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