By Nimi Princewill
What drives a country into possessing weapons of mass destruction that could kill millions of people, and wipe an entire city off the map in one trip? Power, prestige, or protection? How about we go with pride—and the license to bully?
The U.S. is famous for its enviable status of being the first country to assemble an atomic bomb. Impressively, the U.S. of course, was the first to use it. In its self-appointed role as the “world’s police,” the United States and it’s allies feel justified to own a stockpile of nuclear weapons—yet refuse to allow the North Koreans boost what’s left of their already damaged public image by inventing nukes of their own.
Pakistan, Israel and India (the supposed ‘friends’ of the West) threw caution to the wind and acquired nukes for themselves. Interestingly, they weren’t bullied into getting rid of their nuclear projects. Maybe, because they drink at the same bar with their betters. The North Koreans, are the isolated nerds who are constantly flattered as the world’s most hated nation—with the most sacrilegious government—and a monster ego! Hence, allowing the creepy loners keep their nuke, could be terrifyingly dangerous. Much more dangerous now that they’ve procured a ballistic missile that could badly hurt the United States.
With an imminent regime change should the U.S. invade North Korea in a bid to forcefully rid them of their nukes and topple the government of Kim Jong Un, it will require a lot more than war threats or heavy sanctions (which they’ve grown quite accustomed to) to get the resilient North Koreans to forfeit what seems to be their only plausible lifeline.
No one would hurriedly classify North Korea’s leader as a drunken fool who’s merely aiming to attack America just because his ego said so. Kim Jong Un, is fully aware that an attack on the United States will be met with destructive consequences. He isn’t suicidal! The North Koreans are unlikely to use their nukes, unless they run out of options if the U.S. carries out their threat of military action. Waging a war, or tempting the North Koreans to strike first, only endangers the lives of U.S. citizens which are bound to be lost in the event of a North Korean attack.
Why can’t the U.S. learn to live with a nuclear-armed North Korea the same way it has lived with a nuclear-armed Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Israel?
Bio: Nimi Princewill is a Nigerian-born writer and social reformer.
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