North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal

North Korea's nuclear arms have become a concerning issue for the United States and for the world. Many solutions have been considered as an alternative to a mass war, but none of the solutions have been executed. This impending nuclear war would result in widespread catastrophe. North Korea is believed to have more than a dozen types of bombs and is the world's most active seller of nuclear knowledge (Shuster and Miller 30). This threat needs to be dealt with in the best possible form and with the most effective approach. On July 4, 2017, North Korea tested their intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and forced America to become aware of the threat (Klare 4). The United States had to realize that nuclear weapons are still a threat to be reckoned with. This missile could reach Alaska, and in the future, have the ability to reach Los Angeles, New York, or Washington DC (MacKenzie 25). This ICBM test on America's Independence Day acts as a threat to American independence, freedom, and safety. This threat endangers American lives and is spreading across the world as imminent danger. Although the threat is not greatly endangering to the United States yet, it is a threat to areas surrounding North Korea. Any attack on North Korea would result in mass killing and destruction in South Korea, and possibly Japan (Klare 6). A minimal attack would lead to mass catastrophe around the world. The missile does not seem to be a major threat to countries without a destructive nuclear device attached. The ICBM has the capability to hold a nuclear device because of the carbon heat shield that it carries, keeping the nose cool enough to carry the device without destroying it (MacKenzie 25). With the added threat of the missile's capabilities, America is in grave danger and needs to take action against the impending attack. The number of nuclear-armed countries has grown from five to as many as nine since the 1970s, and the threat of World War III has been recognized by all of the secondary nuclear threats (Shuster and Miller 30). All of the nuclear-armed countries increase the risk of more danger in the United States. World War III would bring chaos to every country and threaten military defenses. The United States could not afford another World War in the aspect of money, preparation, and time. The nuclear threat is important because Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader, is developing ICBMs rapidly with the capability of delivering nuclear warheads to America (Klare 4). Kim Jong-un's relentless determination in attacking the United States with North Korea's nuclear weapons is terrifying to the American people. There are many solutions to the threat of the nuclear arms, but they have not been acted upon. The solution would need to be a negotiated or defensive approach toward the nuclear issue. Any successful approach to the nuclear issue needs to be incremental, practical, and cooperative in nature (Shen 345). Taking a negotiated approach is a solution that is plausible to many people and nations. The United States would need to warn against military force and instead press for negotiated outcomes (Klare 8). A popular approach is the three noes policy, North Korea would have no further development of nuclear weapons, no trading of nuclear weapons outside of the North Korean border, and no using, or threatening to use, nuclear weapons (Shen 345). This would limit North Korea's powers and increase global harmony. The leaders of these nations would need to sit down and adopt a common structure for the limits of military action to achieve peace (Klare 8). Peace for the world is crucial when facing the threat of war. In return for cooperation in the three noes policy, North Korea would receive benefits including security, normalization of North Korea's relations with the United States and other countries, and the removal of sanctions of trade (Shen 345-346). This negotiation could lead to more allies, trade, and equipment. Another solution to the threat is better weapons and defense mechanisms for America. The Missile Defense Agency can only make minimal improvements because of poor funding from the government (Karako 29). Funding needs to be increased in order to provide safety for America and the citizens. Without this increased funding, America is left vulnerable to the weapons of other countries. If America plans to react with the defensive approach, research and development would be crucial for furthering the United States' weapons. New weapons like directed-energy weapons, such as a laser mounted on and unmanned aerial vehicle, could have the ability to defeat missiles in their boost phase (Karako 30). These types of weapons are important if the nuclear arms race continues as it has been. Nuclear war is an impending thought and could lead to an eventual World War III. The threat of this impending war forces the government to look at the different approaches to the nuclear threat and decide what is best for the nation and the trusting citizens. People look to President Donald Trump when searching for the United States solution to the nuclear threat. Donald Trump says that the country's biggest problem is some maniac obtaining a nuclear weapon (Shuster and Miller 30). Nearly anybody could gain access to ingredients to build a weapon of mass destruction, and that is a terrifying reality for many citizens. America has different aspects that the leaders need to look at when dealing with the imminent threat of a nuclear attack from North Korea. Any decision made could be detrimental to the citizens of the United States and the allies of the United States. In 2010, the Obama administration stated that the United States was, at the time, in an advantageous position compared to the nuclear threat from North Korea (Karako 29). Almost a decade later, positions have changed and America may not be in a state of complete protection and control. President Donald Trump also plays a key role in determining what danger new types of bombs would be in the coming years (Shuster and Miller 33). The government will need to assess every threat that comes with the missile. With other threats on the rise, the government needs to react soon and effectively. Other countries have a different approach to the nuclear problem. China, an ally of North Korea, is unwilling to see North Korea collapse and refuses to risk war (Shen 345). An ally of North Korea has a different view than a country that is not aligned with North Korea. Those countries not aligned with North Korea are held together by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); this is a form of protection for those not aligned with North Korea. When the NATO spread to the eastward side, it reached Russia and created a chain of US-armed states surrounding China (Klare 4). This blockade caused tension between North Korea and the organization because China and North Korea are allies. Russia and China responded to the testing of the ICBM in North Korea by arranging meetings directed towards preventing further nuclear development in exchange for stopping the United States and South Korean military exercises that would bring a threat to Kim Jong-un's rule (MacKenzie 25). This negotiated approach has proven to be resourceful for Russia and China when protecting their citizens from endangering nuclear harm and mass killings. Many other detrimental weapons have surfaced in the nuclear arms race. A metallic lump packed together with high explosives, known as a dirty bomb, could poison the surrounding area by the blast zone with toxic levels of radiation (Shuster and Miller 30). This threat is an addition to the threat of the missile and forces people to question if North Korea is capable of anything more. A dangerous weapon that does more damage after the blast, like the dirty bomb, is extremely harmful to people in the surrounding areas. The only defense that America has against a long-range ballistic missile is the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, which is a critical but thin defensive program (Karako 29). Without negotiation, the United States is left vulnerable to the growing number of nuclear weapons. North Korea has the threat of the capability of technology needed to attach a hydrogen bomb to the missile (Karako 29). This technology could open up an entirely new arms race and create a larger threat to the American people. America needs to take a negotiated approach towards the issue. Negotiating with the surrounding countries towards world peace is crucial for global harmony. If the defensive approach were to be taken, it would be extremely costly to the American budget. The United States government has provided over $50 million in aid to help the former Soviet republic, consisting of only 3.7 million people, in combating the trade in nuclear materials (Shuster and Miller 31). This amount of money cannot be spent on defending nuclear issues for the United States, much less for other countries. Along with other expenses, an addition of a defensive site on the East Coast of the United States would have a cost of $2 billion (Karako 29). This lofty amount of money could be spent on other items benefiting the United States. Instead, America is considering wasting the money on funding a defensive attack that they could not afford. Negotiating the end of the nuclear arms race would lead to the lack of a need to spend such a great amount of money on such a miniscule thing. A North Korean denuclearization could not be achieved at once, but North Korea might eventually be ready to take concrete steps toward the end of their entire nuclear arsenal (Shen 346). A negotiated process may take time, but this amount of time and effort will be worth it in the end. This process would save American lives, lives of other countries, money, and valuable resources. The government needs to address the issue for the American people and ensure safety in daily life. The lack of nuclear resources that the United States has must be considered when dealing with the nuclear situation. Negotiating peace with North Korea would lead to peace between the countries and increased trade and resources that are valuable to the citizens. America needs to take a negotiated approach toward the issue because of the repercussions of other decisions that could be made. America cannot afford war when there is a simple solution to the nuclear arms problem.

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