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"North Korea launch casts doubt on improving relations" By: Jonathan Marcus []

__Summary__

As the North Korea rocket launch in Tongchang-dong draws closer, neighbor countries Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines started diverting airplane routes and even warned fishing boats to avoid water near the proposed rocket path. Other countries, like the United States, China, Russia, and many other countries in the UN, have warned North Korea that if they launch the rocket, they will break two UN Security Council resolutions. Experts think that, even under these circumstances, North Korea will not cancel the test because this rocket launch was requested by North Korea's founding father Kim Il-sung just before his death in December, according to Mark Fitzpatrick, director of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. Also because North Korea has not yet successfully launched a long-range rocket and this month is the centennial anniversary of North Korea, making it the perfect opportunity to prove what its rocket can do. There will not be a warhead atop the rocket, but a satellite they are attempting to launch into space. This won't help them learn if their warhead can safely make it into and out of the atmosphere, but it will show the world whether or not they can successfully launch a long-range rocket. The US is still hoping that North Korea will come to the table and reduce their nuclear activities for more US food aid, but this has not yet happened. If North Korea does proceed to launch the rocket, the US has already said they suspend their food aid deal.

__Relevance__

This is not the first time the US and other countries have come together to protect their civilians and land from weapons of mass destruction. In class, we read about the Limited Test Treaty Ban. This ban came on July 15, 1963, after almost 10 years of negotiations between the United States, the United Kingdom, and USSR. There was a lot of debate that occurred before all of this. Should the ban cover just above ground, including space and underwater, to prevent nuclear fallout that could harm people globally? Should the ban cover everything, including above and below ground, like the Soviet leader Khrushchev believed? In the end, they decided that only below ground testing was allowed and all other sorts of testing, like above ground, were banned and would be monitored by visiting nuclear sites and by investigating testing locations ("Partial"). This North Korea rocket launch is a reminder of this very important ban that they never signed, proving that they are a nation looking to advance militarily ("Limited"). This all came after the arms race between the US and Soviet Union after the US developed the Manhattan Project in 1939 and tested these bombs in the early 1940s. The US wanted to be the first nation to develop these incredibly dangerous, atomic weapons to have a leg-up on the rest of the world. The USSR got wind of the testing through its atomic development spies and hurried to create their own nuclear program ("Manhattan"). Because of this intense arms race, the US and USSR engaged in an over 50-year Cold War. However, the North Koreans were not aiming to to test nuclear bombs. They wanted to test their long-range rocket that have been under development since the late 1990s. These events seem different, but they're not. Ever since North Korea declared formal declaration September 9, 1948, and separated themselves from every other nation, they have fell behind in development standards and are working furiously to catch up, at least militarily ("North"). This rocket launch is just one of their attempts to catch up to the rest of the world, except is these times, they will be testing when these sort of activities are banned and frowned upon, not only by the UN, but by laws put into action in the past.

__Explanation__

This article gives information on the under-developed nuclear program in North Korea and how it affects every country. The professionals quoted in this article seemed rather careful in their answers and did not outwardly accuse North Korea of anything. These instances display how everyone is cautious when talking about North Korea because who knows what they could do. Because no one what North Korea will do next is why this is such a problem. Despite there being regulations on testing nuclear weapons, North Korea still plows ahead and tests them anyways. Although we know they have a weak arsenal, who knows what they will do with it. After this launch, many countries will have to question their foreign policy regarding North Korea. Should they continue to aid them, if they do? Should they try to negotiate with them to stall their nuclear arms development? If this doesn't happen, who knows if North Korea will start WWIII? There are too many questions regarding North Korea and their military. Just because they are not planning on testing their rockets with a warhead doesn't mean there isn't a security threat for the US and other countries. The US has not done anything yet to protect Americans from North Korea's feeble military attempts. Some day in the future, North Korea will get everything right and everyone will be caught off guard. We need to start protecting civilians and engage in negotiations with North Korea. Sure, it will probably take a while, but we can start now to try to save the future. Seeing as North Korea is communist, they can slip through our fingers just like the Soviets did after WWII and during the Yalta Conference. North Korea still presents a foreign policy and society hazard while it is developing its military and governments everywhere, including the US, should do something about it.

__Questions__

1. How has North Korea gotten away with testing their rockets for so long (since the late 1990s)? 2. Will the US terminate food aid, if North Korea launches the rocket, for a long enough time to have North Korea cave and sign an agreement? 3. What three stages are there in a missile? It is referenced often and I have no clue what these three stages include. 4. What is this satellite on top of the missile supposed to do, if it does successfully make it into space? 5. What will the UN do if North Korea follows through with the plan to launch the missile? Will there be harsh fines or anything similar?

__Works Cited__

"Limited Test Ban Treaty." //U.S. Department of State//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .

"Manhattan Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .

Marcus, Jonathan. "BBC News - North Korea launch casts doubt on improving relations." //BBC - Homepage//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .

"North Korea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .

"Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .