Blog Stage 4

“If the United States, with a nuclear arsenal 15 times larger than that of any country other than Russia, is not prepared to reduce further, can it credibly argue that other nuclear weapons states should not build up or that other countries should not acquire nuclear arms?” Absolutely. America has taken on the role (some would say a self-appointed role) of the global enforcer. Regardless of you agreeing with this statement or the role itself is pretty much insignificant. We are filling the role whether we want it or not. Now to return to the opening quote, taken from the blog of Steven Pifer and Jonathan D. Pollack of Brookings.edu. Allow me to present an analogy. A police officer has been in a stand off with a suspect at gun -point, the officer has about 5,550 rounds of ammunition on him, the suspect has about 8-10 rounds. Can the officer credibly argue for the suspect to put down his weapon, before the officer relinquishes his? Again, absolutely. Let’s reflect for a moment on what would happen if the officer laid down his weapon, I see three possible outcomes.

One: The suspect, after seeing the shining example set by the officer, puts down his weapon, the two shake hands and live happily ever after.

Two: The suspect uses the disarmament of the officer to his advantage and flees, only to possibly assail again in the future.

Three: The suspect sees a defenseless officer before him, the same officer he has sworn the destruction of time and time again. The suspect then shoots and kills the unarmed officer.

Now, the authors continue their article with some very valid points such as their closing line, “A nuclear-armed North Korea undoubtedly represents a serious threat to stability and security in Northeast Asia. But that is no reason to argue that Washington should not pursue the next stage of nuclear arms reductions with Russia.” Precisely, the reduction of the number of weapons in the world arsenal is a must. The redundancy of the production of those weapons was ludicrous to begin with. The Telegraph, of the UK, posted a quote by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she said, “We (U.S. and Russia) have more than enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world many times over.” Because you never know how many times you may need to destroy the planet! Sarcasm aside, the officer from our analogy could undoubtedly begin reducing the number of bullets in his possession as an example to the suspect. But to take your aim off of the threat for one moment opens up an opportunity for him that none of us are prepared to face.
Getting it Wrong on North Korea