Stalinist Kim Jong Il has brought North Korea into the nuclear club. Headlines ask, "Who Can Stop Him Now?" Now that we know North Korea has nuclear devices, we ask, "What does this mean?"
by Darris McNeely
The 4.2 magnitude blast on Oct. 9 came in blatant defiance of world opinion and broke North Korea's promise (made several years ago) not to develop nuclear technology.
The result is a scary new world that has sent diplomats into scramble mode. It took several days for the United Nations Security Council to impose more sanctions that included a ban on "luxury goods," as if limiting sales of Louis Vuitton handbags in Pyongyang will change North Korea's present course!
The great fear is that other nations, Iran being first in line, will develop the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. Reports speculate that Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey may also push ahead with plans to develop a nuclear bomb. One former U.S. Defense Department official says, "The North Korean test blew a hole in the nonproliferation regime of Northeast Asia. I think this is bad news for the country, bad news for the region, bad news for the world" (Time, Oct. 23, 2006, p. 32).
Japan's reaction
Of immediate concern is whether North Korea's bomb would provoke South Korea and Japan to go nuclear. For decades both nations have enjoyed safety, peace and economic security under the protective umbrella of American military force.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traveled to Japan and South Korea, reaffirming the strategic relationship and promise of American protection. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said that Japan "is absolutely not considering a need to be armed by nuclear weapons."
This stance may change if the growing nationalistic feelings within Japan continue to rise. Newly installed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe heads a new breed of leaders not shackled by feelings of war guilt.
In fact, the day Mr. Aso made this statement, Prime Minister Abe testified to a parliamentary committee that Japan should begin debating going nuclear: "The reality is that it is only Japan that has not discussed possessing nuclear weapons, and all other countries have been discussing it." Other high-ranking Japanese officials have called for an open debate on the issue.
