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North Korean Officials Move Long-Range Rocket into Position for Launch Lauren Moyer

A new finding that North Korea has moved all three stages of their long-range rocket into a position that could be questionably dangerous has foreign leaders concerned. Along with this bold move of the missile, North Korean officials have stated they will go ahead with their plan to defy the international warnings against the ban on missile activity. Officials said that the three-stage rocket would be launched in a bug 1ooth anniversary bash held for founder Kim II Sung. While North Korea states that to object of the missile is purely to show a scientific achievement for Kim II Sung, the U.S, Japan, and Britain are concerned and urge the North Koreans to not act in any manner that may disrupt the “peace”. While these warnings are being given to North Korean officials, fueling and liftoff is on track and the general manager, Jang Myong Jin, has told reporters the takeoff should between the 12th and 16th of April. The United States has suspended all aid to North Korea until this threat is over, but until then the world sits waiting for North Korea to either launch the missile or take the help from the U.S and dismantle their weapon.
 * __Summary__**

Unfortunately, armed conflict or the preparation for armed conflict is an important aspect of defending our country or protecting freedoms around the world. From early days, our government has spent significant time and money developing weapons that would either help us win wars or be so powerful that they could help avoid struggles. Over time, we have seen the gradual development of automatic rifles, armored tanks, portable missiles, submarines and perhaps most importantly, nuclear weapons. The presences of these terrifying weapons of mass destruction have had a big impact on the way the U.S. and other countries have interacted for decades. Started in 1939, The Manhattan Project was a research and development program designed to create the atomic weapon during WWII. The United State’s goal at that time was to create a more powerful weapon in order to stay ahead of the Soviet Union at the time. When the states where finally able to create a successful, working nuclear bomb we were able to get leverage in the debates against the Soviets. The USSR knew that having nuclear weapons meant that the U.S could obliterate entire cities or large parts of their country. This definitely has had an impact on diplomacy and can cause great tension for leaders, governments and citizens. The Soviets backed down quiet a bit until they too were able to create a weapon of their own. While debates would go on for years after that, the two countries were constantly trying to keep up with each other as far as arms technology goes. Overall, The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union is a good example of how the threat of nuclear weapons forever changed the ways these superpowers interacted with each other which affected both countries economically, socially, and politically. The Cold War was not the only confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States that involved nuclear threats. The Cuban Missile Crisis in the 60’s, occurred because the Soviets knew that at this time they were behind in the arms race and their only hope was to assemble a medium range missile from their South Atlantic ally. Kennedy stated that any launch would be considered an attack on the U.S and demanded the soviet move their weapons. As tensions built up on both sides, discussions were held between Khrushchev and Robert Kennedy. Finally, on October 28th, the Soviet’s agreed to dismantle the missiles and return them to the USSR but only if the U.S made a pact not to invade Cuba. At the time a huge bullet was dogged. This event was the closet the Cold War ever got to being hot. This was the second major time when arms had become the reason there were arguments between the world powerhouses, which would make peace talks even more unlikely. With each confrontation the two experienced negotiations would become a struggle. Diplomats had a difficult time negotiating when it came to discussions about nuclear weapons especially, but since it had causes so much controversy leaders wanted it controlled, they just didn’t know an effective and “fair” way to control the catastrophic weapon. On one hand, the even playing field (both had weapons that could practically destroy the other’s country) may have stopped minor skirmishes from starting or from these countries getting involved in other wars in the world due to the constant threat of nuclear attack. On the other hand, the constant worry about these weapons caused great strain as the leaders worked to limit the number of these weapons and their placement around the globe. It seems clear that although the U.S. has come to terms with Russia over nuclear weapons, the threat is starting to grow again as more countries gain the technology and resources to manufacture these missiles. It will continue to be a tough situation for leaders of our government who try control or limit who has access to nuclear weapons.
 * __Relevance__** –


 * __Evaluation__** –

This article deals with the underlying issue of smaller countries developing nuclear weapons and the rockets to carry them great distances, which makes them a threat to every nation in the world. The people quoted in the article seem to steer clear of actually outwardly accusing the North Koreans of having ambitions of using the rocket (which is supposed to be delivering a satellite) to carry nuclear weapons, but it is clear that is the overall concern. It seems that even talking out loud about nuclear bombs is a very delicate situation for politicians, world leaders and even reporters. You have to be very careful about making accusations, especially in countries with unstable or radical leaders, to avoid making enemies. North Korea is trying to get around sanctions limiting missile launches by claiming to be launching a satellite and a celebration of their leader Kim II Sung, which makes it very hard to prove that they may be developing long range rockets to send nuclear warheads a long distance. In their mind, they’re just showing proper respect to their beloved leader by showing their technological advancements in the last 100 years. As much a North Korea says the intentions behind the missile are non-threatening, neighboring countries have threatened to shoot down the rocket, which would be considered an act of war by the North Koreans, potentially starting a dangerous conflict that could drag the U.S. into another war on foreign soil. Should we believe the North Korean’s and trust that they won’t send us into a WWIII? The article would have been more compelling if the writer had included quotes by American officials on what our government’s position is and what we are willing to do to make sure North Korea does not gain control of a nuclear warhead. Right now our U.S officials haven’t really taken any action to ensure the security of our country. Are we intimidated by their deadly potential? If we were to act though and step in to ensure the safety of surrounding ally countries, would we mess up our potential to have a future agreement with North Korea? Koreans have the potential to be an even bigger threat to the world, so if this situation is not handled well by the U.S we could mess up future peace with North Korea and we could be sent into a war.


 * __Questions__** –

1) How can the U.S. realistically ask countries to stop developing nuclear weapons when we already have thousands of missiles poised to strike?

2) Is it right to bargain with humanitarian supplies like food or medicine when dealing in talks aimed to limit arms manufacturing?

3) What are the chances that a radical government or group could gain control of a nuke and use it to threaten the western world?

4) How would the US react given their policy of not bargaining with terrorists?

5) How far would the U.N. or Unites States be willing to go to stop a country from developing nuclear weapons? An invasion? Blocking trade?

__**Works Cited-**__

"Arms race - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .

"Cuban Missile Crisis: Summary." //ThinkQuest : Library//. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .

"Foreign policy of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .

"North Korea officials move long-range rocket into position for launch | Fox News." //Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Videos//. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .