2) North Korea

For over a decade, North Korea has had the attention of the United States. On Monday, October 9, 2006, this small nation performed a nuclear test, claiming that they needed to “protect its sovereignty and right to existence from the daily increasing danger of war from the United States.” Two days later, North Korea also stated that they would perform additional nuclear tests and threatened to take physical steps if the United States continued to increase pressure on the nation. The second powerful leader of North Korea Kim Yong-nam blamed the nuclear tests on the United States’ policy towards his country. Ambassadors from China, France, Britain, Russia, Japan, and the U.S. met at the United Nations to resolve the problem with North Korea. The U.S. will inspect all cargo going into and out of North Korea to find and stop any weapon-related material. America is also looking for a resolution under the United Nations Charter that will permit military enforcement. It is believed that North Korea obtains these nuclear weapons to threaten and gain protection from hostile nations, and that the only way to have the attention of other countries is by threatening them.


In 1993, North Korea removed itself from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or the NPT. The treaty’s objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. This October is not the first time that a country has been threatened by North Korea with nuclear weapons. Over the years, this country has gotten the world’s attention by claiming to have nuclear weapons.


The current conflict with North Korea and the United States can be easily paralleled with the Cuban Missile Crisis. In October of 1962, American planes found evidence that the Soviet Union was placing nuclear weapons in Cuba, after assuring the United States that no offensive weapons would be placed there. A committee, ExComm, was soon formed to devise solutions to the conflict with the Soviet Union, just as ambassadors from certain countries that met at the United Nations did. The United States ended up using a blockade to inspect cargo going into and out of Cuba to intercept nuclear weapons. North Korea possessing nuclear arms is also very threatening to the United States, as was the Soviets having nuclear arms.