Nuclear Weapons Essay (Essay Sample)

North Korea's motivations for pursuing nuclear weapons.
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Institution
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Essay Outline
Introduction
Possible North Korea Motivations
* Attempt to secure Bilateral Talks
* Attempt to Ensure security of the regime
* Domestic Political factors
* Technological motivation
Effects of Nuclear program on U.S security
U.S Options
Summary of U.S Goals
Introduction
In October 2006, North Korea announced that it had done some nuclear test. Evaluation was done for several days and the United States authorities confirmed a nuclear underground explosion which tests revealed that it was less than one kiloton. The United Nations Security Council held a meeting and in unison condemned the tests as well as calling for sanctions. North Korea has remained defiant since then insisting that increased pressure on the regime will be regarded as war act. South Korea and China who have been top trade partners and aid providers to the North supported the resolution but it is still questionable whether they will enforce the sanctions as well as cut economic cooperation which was very crucial to the regime. This paper is going to discuss the motivations and reasons why the Pyongyang decided to have the nuclear tests and the ultimate effect on the U.S national security interests.[Tae-Hwan Kwak and Seung-Ho Joo. Peace Regime Building on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asian Security Cooperation. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2010.]
Possible motivations
Attempt to secure bilateral talks
Analysts have argued that nuclear test was a desperate effort by the North Korean regime to have bilateral negotiations with the U.S and thereafter have more leverage. The Bush Administration firmly refused to be involved in any engagements outside the Six-Party Talks protocol; although United States official stated that much of the multilateral forum is more devoted to speak direct to North Korean. Selig Harrison, an expert from Asia with exceptional access to DPRK authorities says the North Korean officials wanted bilateral talks in attempt to implement the denuclearization agreement that was concluded at the Six-Party Talks in Beijing back in September 2005. His argument assumes North Korea is very sincere and intents to eliminate the nuclear weapons program in favor for economic and diplomatic incentives.[Ho Chun Kwang, North Korea's Nuclear Question: Sense of Vulnerability, Defensive Motivation, and Peaceful Solution. Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 2010.]
In September 2005, the "Joint Statement of Principle" issues by Six-Party Talks seemed a groundbreaking agreement which outlined a clear path to negotiation resolution. In this statement, the six parties agreed unanimously to the peaceful denuclearization of Korean Peninsula and actually North Korea committed to abandon its nuclear weapon program, returning to NPT and allowing IAEA safeguards. Five more parties offered humanitarian and energy assistance. Both United States and North Korea complied to take steps in attempt to normalize relations. According to Analysts, the key element for the Korean delegation was the promise to establish diplomatic relations with Washington.[Robert L. Worden, North Korea: A Country Study. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2008]
Attempt to Ensure Security of the Regime.
Another motivation was the regime’s insecurity and fear of being attacked by United States. This fear had consumed the country for generations from the Korean War. North Korean drew a lesson from the invasion of Iraq; Iraq was targeted because it was believed to have been pursuing nuclear weapons program though it had not succeeded yet. Pyongyang planners strongly believed that developing and demonstrating nuclear capability will adversely deter a United States attack. It is interesting that North Korea had an assurance that the rest of the world will adjust and regard it a nuclear power after being condemned, similar experiences of India and Pakistan after they did nuclear tests of nuclear weapons in 1998. CIA assessment offered this analysis: "A test would demonstrate to the world the North Korea’s status as a nuclear-capable state and signal (Kim Jong-il’s) perception that building a nuclear stockpile will strengthen his regime’s international standing and security posture”.
Domestic Political Factors
It is difficult to measure internal pressures in the secretive North Korea but the test may have been an intention to appease hardliners in the regime. In reference to the partially failed missile tests back in July 2006, the leadership of the military pressed for another indication of their resolve. Given North’s impoverished state, the leader Kim Jong-il needed to maintain military support to hold on to power. Another domestic factor was the need for North Korea to assert itself since South Korea was progressively winning global recognition after the ascension of Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon as the UN Secretary General. After division of peninsula in 1945, Pyongyang has since competed with Seoul foe legitimacy as the government on Korea. Most of the dynamics have played out inside UN where both North and South Korea are recognized as sovereign states.[Tae-Hwan Kwak, and Seung-Ho Joo, North Korea's Foreign Policy Under Kim Jong Il: New Perspectives, Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2009]
Technical Motivations
Observers believe that nuclear tests are very important when it comes to validating design for any implosion device whether using plutonium or uranium. However in 2003, CIA assessed North Korea’s vast experience with high explosives testing and asserted that the nuclear tests would not be required to validate fission weapons. It is likely that North Korea experts would want to test Chinese HEU implosion device apparently provided by a Pakistan Scientist A.Q. Khan also given to Libya. North Korean has desired to test implosion device using plutonium whether it is foreign or indigenous as confirmed by several media reports. Consequently, the Unites States intelligence agencies have concluded that the device was plutonium. Experts say that the small yield of the North Korean test is a clear indication that it was attempting to have more sophisticated design but more data is required before drawing such a conclusion. Given that the device did not produce the initial desired result, it is more likely that North Korea may desire to test again and again until to improve the design of the weapon.[ebrary, Inc. Technical Issues Related to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 2002]
Effect of Nuclear Weapons on U.S
The missing information is the actual intentions of North Korea therefore it is difficult to assess the nuclear threat to the United States and the entire region. However, different scenarios of intentions and capabilities may partially illuminate expected threats. Capability and intention may not match always but these two ultimately drive one another. Apart from being a threat of its own nuclear weapon capabilities, North Korea poses as a major threat in terms of its great willingness to provide materials, technology or even the weapons to rogue states, such as Syria or Iran or even to terrorist organizations as well as individuals.[Tracie Egan, Weapons of Mass Destruction and North Korea, New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2005.] [Asian Security Conference, N. S. Sisodia, V. Krishnappa, and Priyanka Singh.Proliferation and Emerging Nuclear Order in Twenty-First Century. New Delhi: Published by Academic Foundation, in association with Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, 2009]
North Korea’s several motivations to test nuclear weapons raises more questions concerning nuclear arsenal development. Nuclear capability, technical pride and security considerations are factors pushing North Korea to develop more sophisticated weapons. Currently, North Korea is capable to deliver crude nuclear device within its region using airplanes, ground transportation and ships. This is a big threat to the security and it’s a concern to the United States.
The United States intelligence has warned North Korea not to cross the "red line" for further proliferation of the WMD capabilities whether to no-state or state actors. In the past there have been instances of states sharing nuclear capabilities and weapons with other states. The U.S more concern is that North Korea can share the nuclear weapons with its rivals like China and this poses as a serious security threat. United States being the super power wants to control the technology, capabilities as well as nuclear and any other mass destruction weapons. For instance in 1988, North Korea was added to the list of sponsors of terrorism by U.S. The State Department of United States stated in 2005 that North Korea still maintained ties with terror groups by selling to them conventional weapons. The U.S specified that one of the terror groups is Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a militant Islamic group based in Southern Philippine.[Edward V.  Linden, Focus on Terrorism, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2002.]
CIA report stated that North Korea had provided ballistic-missile-related equipment, component, expertise and material rather than nuclear items. It was also noted that North Korea is an established exporter of ballistic missiles and many observers especially the U.S government equated North Korea’s willingness to supply those items with willingness to supply the nuclear weapons as well or fissile material. It was reported that a Pyongyang official suggested during April-August 2003 talks between North Korean negotiator Li Gun and the former Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly that North Korea would demonstrate...