Experiencing a quality of life that is much lower than their Southern counterparts, as North Koreans suffer with a quality of life that is worse than even those in other totalitarian regimes, such as Cuba (Oh, 2007). Just a few of the issues that citizens of North Korea have to deal with each day include famine, death, a caste system, and poverty. While famine and poverty are problems that immediately threaten the physical body, the strict caste system is the social problem that probably, more than anything, affects the life of a typical North Korean. With no ability to dream, to have a hope in increasing one's position and station, or of overcoming one's circumstance, it is difficult to be human. For these reasons, the symbolic value of North Korean's threats are damaging in the worst way. And it is just for this reason that North Korea can't be treated like a misbehaving toddler and simply ignored, although this was the policy of the previous administration. Although President Bush's opinion of North Korea was made clear to his constituents, Bolton (2008) calls his North Korean policy filled with "fanfare and choreography" (para. 2). The president talked, but did little else. Despite the fact that the Bush administration was able to come up with a satisfying agreement for peaceful interaction between the East and the West in the advent of the nuclear test of 2006 (Greco, 2009), Bolton (2008) contends, and I agree, that President Bush's overall attitude toward the brewing situation in North Korea was too lax for comfort. This is an example of the kind of policy that today's administration cannot afford. Because of this politically charged history of temper tantrums and symbolic threats, North Korea becomes a difficult case study for the Obama administration. Greco (2009) praises the current administration for its current stance favoring diplomacy and negotiation, even with states that are ideologically different than the United States. However, Greco also warns that the U.S. be careful to shy away from actions...
While Greco's (2009) ideas are partially correct, it is important that the United States respond to North Korea in kind. Because the state has not posed a real, physical threat to the United States, it would be inappropriate for the United States to launch an invasion. Similarly, Greco (2009) is correct that further punitive actions may simply serve to alienate Il's administration, making it difficult to discuss, let alone agree, on anything. Thus, it is possible for the Obama administration to keep their position in favor of diplomacy and peaceful resolution while still responding to North Korea's symbolic threats. This means that the United States must be prepared to issue statement after statement condemning North Korea for its disastrous treatment of its people. While negotiating with the country, the Obama White House should be prepared to use as a carrot the conditions of the North Korean people. Further, the United States must be prepared to launch a full-scale attack on North Korea, in addition to building to this climax with further sanctions and other punitive actions if necessary. These should not be used unless provoked, and they should be used in moderation, but it is important that the United States be ready to stand up for its democratic ideals should North Korea become more than a symbolic threat. Thus, just as one deals with a toddler's behavior as it escalates, so to must the United States be ready to address an ever-worsening North Korea.
While the dictators of Europe often get the most attention, the Kim family has actually been far more successful in terms of maintaining power, to the point that it has not only managed to exist well into the twenty-first century, but it has also managed to develop its own nuclear weapon program. The existence of North Korea's nuclear weapon program is one of the reasons for the country's extremely serious
North Korea Political Position Regarding United States Threatening for U.S. government This assignment demonstrates the position of politics of North Korea regarding United States. North Korea developed third nuclear technology that brought an impact on United States. This assignment discussed the threats given by North Korea to United States. This assignment also puts light on the implications of technology on North Korea regarding United States. During the period of the cold war, North
S. However, the nation's powerful military and unpredictable nature make it a significant threat to world peace. North Korea's military strength belies its weakness in all other areas. The economy is essentially non-functional, the people struggle to survive and non-military accomplishments are few and far between. Yet, North Korea is a nuclear power, which gives it great strength and makes it a nation of acute interest for the United States.
Yet, during the negotiations for the 1994 agreement one of the frequent demands of the North Koreans that was not met was a non-aggression treaty with the U.S. The reason that they may want this is because it may set the course for normalization of relationships and the economic benefits that would come as a result. These economic benefits would help bolster the present regime and ensure that the
North Korea WMD The weapons of mass destruction problem in North Korea is characterized by a number of geographic and political issues. North Korea (the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea, or DPRK). In January of 2003, North Korea has withdrawn from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Chanda and Evans, 2003; Kyong-Soo Kim). In addition, North Korea has developed long-range missiles, and recent reports suggest that the country is now the "world's largest
North Korea is one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies (The World Fact Book). As a result of years of underinvestment and spare parts shortages, its industrial capital stock is considered to be beyond repair and its economy is in chaos, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial and power output have eroded and the nation has suffered its tenth year of food shortages because of a lack of
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now