North Korea to be the next nuclear superpower

Not since President Reagan has the United States had a winning foreign policy. 

His administration entered into strategic arms limitation agreements with Russia – and crushed the Soviet Union, at the same time.  He had an effective non-proliferation policy when it came to the spread of nuclear weapons.  

Reagan was the last President who did more than empty talk about America’s military power and purpose.  He used credible threats of intervention to bring home the American hostages in Iran.  He sent in troops to prevent a Cuban Communist takeover in Granada.  He brought down Manuel Noriega, the drug-dealing despot in Panama. 

He bombed the Libyan presidential Palace of Muammar Gaddafi when he was sponsoring international terrorism.  He prevented a Communist Sandinistas take over in Nicaragua.  He shot down Libyan jets that were challenging US ships as part of Gaddafi’s effort to extend his territorial waters.

Since those days, America has been losing power and prestige across all matters – military leadership … business leadership … moral leadership.

President George H. W. Bush may have been the first to articulate the American policy that North Korea will not be allowed to have nuclear weapons even as they were starting to develop them.  That was about the time North Korea launched its then-secret plan to develop nuclear weapons. 

The “no nukes” mantra was often repeated by every American president since then.  Despite the U.S. policy, four generations of the Kim family continued to develop a significant nuclear arsenal.  It was amateur stuff in the early years – with repeated failures.

When things were looking more serious, President Clinton provided North Korea with between $400 and $666 million dollars as part of the “Framework Agreement” which was to have NK join in a non-proliferation agreement.  It did not even slow down North Korea’s development of nuclear weaponry.

By the end of the Obama administration, North Korea was moving quickly in developing more sophisticated weapons and missiles.  President Trump was successful in opening talks with Kim Jong-un with the goal of ending his nuclear plans.  It did result in the temporary succession of missile testing – but no agreement on the larger issue.

With the inauguration of President Biden, Kim launched the nation’s most aggressive plans for stockpiling nuclear weapons – and more importantly, the missiles to launch them.  Kim’s most recent generation of missiles can deliver nuclear bombs anywhere in the United States, according to the generals at the Pentagon.

North Korea is now a major player in the nuclear standoff.  He joins China and Russia – with their hypersonic missiles.

Since the old Soviet Union obtained nuclear weapons after World War II, any use of nuclear weapons has been prevented by the Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) concept.  With North Korea joining America’s nuclear adversaries – and Russian President Putin threatening “limited” use of nukes in Ukraine – the MAD concept is less assuring.

By all measures, America’s policy of no nukes for North Korea is as dead as the Monroe Doctrine.  It is difficult to conceive any way – sanctions or military threats – that will have North Korea surrendering its nuclear weapons programs.  Atomic weaponry is a growth industry in NK.

And keep in mind, Kim does not have to use those nuclear weapons.  All he has to do is intimidate America with them – much like Putin has been doing.

And the worst may be yet to come since we have repeatedly stated that a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable.  More talk. 

Israel suggests that only an attack on the production of nuclear weapons in Iran will end the Supreme Leader’s lust for “the bomb.”    If not that, then what? 

The American approach has not worked.

So, there ‘tis.