Would A Preemptive Strike Against North Korea Trigger A Worldwide Conflict?
Presidents have too much power over U.S. nukes. Especially President Trump.
As tension grows between the U.S. and North Korea, many are waiting for someone to cross the line, prompting either President Trump or Kim Jung Un to attack. However, for the past few weeks, neither have made an advance over the other. But the President's constant taunting makes us wonder if Kim would attack, and if so, how will we respond? Many are aware that there is no "secret plan" of defense against North Korea, so if we are under indefinite threat of nuclear war, how do we fight back? Some say that Trump could either back down or launch a preemptive strike against North Korea's missile sites.
However, others fear that attacking Kim Jung Un before they attack us is a breach of contract. It would practically be declaring nuclear war then and there, even if the missiles fail. And if the missiles fail, North Korea would most likely strike back. There are a lot of risks to a preemptive strike, so it is unclear whether it would be worth it.
A Preemptive Strike On North Korea Would Be Catastrophic and Illegal
Trumps threats to North Korea about handling them with "fire and fury" had caused them to make a direct threat to Guam, a large military base and home to around 16,000 people. Furthermore, North Korea accused Trump of planning a "preventive war" and said that Kim has the power to take out the U.S. mainland. North Korea was warned to cease all planned attacks on the U.S. that would lead to the destruction of his own land and people. North Korea's defiance has further influenced Trump's desire of a preemptive strike, which would be dangerous to not only North Korea, but the South Korea and the U.S. itself.
A conventional war itself would lead to a projected million casualties, but when you throw nuclear power into that equation, tens of millions of innocent people may die. Not to mention that South Korean and American Troops are stationed very close to attack sites and could lead to upwards of 100,000 deaths. In addition, a preemptive strike would violate the UN Charter. There is currently no necessity for self defense, since both Trump and Kim have made minor threats but neither have anything to show for it.
Preemptive Strike: Is It Worth It?
With North Korea promising its power, it is tempting to attack them before we become the targets. However, the dangers of doing so are may be too great. Possibly under greater consideration, and ensuring the safety of the American and South Korean soldiers, the U.S. could eventually launch an attack. But, it is a delicate matter that requires much more consideration than it is getting. Until then, Trump needs to carefully consider his actions.
Further Reading
Discussion Questions
- Should the U.S. attack North Korea first or wait them out?
- Do you think Trump is too powerful with the nuclear codes?
- Are the risks of nuclear war too catastrophic to end the conflict early?
- When should we consider a full-scale war?
I think that trump is far too power to be in control of the nuclear weapon codes because he's shown he's not mature enough to handle such dangerous weapons and as the American public has seen he's easily angered. During his campaign he would often times insult his opponents in order to get his point across instead of using facts and information to win a debate. He has degraded many groups of people in order to build himself up and give him a false sense of superiority and he has this strange obsession about the size of his hands. He's childish and abrasive and could possibly take a message or action from North Korea the wrong way and use the weapons on a whim. He's not grasping the entire situation here and is only seeing what he wants to see and that is that he's unstoppable and North Korea has nothing on him. In short he's unpredictable and immature and should not be in control of the nuclear weapon codes as he could easily start World War III because Kim Jung Un said something about his hands.
ReplyDeleteTrump and Kim Jong Un can be compared to two children with nuclear weaponry at the tips of their fingers. Neither of them should be trusted with such dangerous things, yet they are. I agree with Sara, as she said that Trump is a violent and agressive person, which even further supports the fact that he should not be trusted with these nuclear codes. In my opinion, no matter the circumstances, killing tens of millions of people is never worth it. Considering a full-scale war at all could mean obliterating a sizable amount of the population, due to how powerful the nuclear weapons are. So, if the situation can be avoided, it should be. This meaning that we should not drop a bomb or send any missiles, since that would anger North Korea and start a war, which isn't a good goal to have.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be a wise option for the United States to perform a preemptive strike on North Korea. It would be best to wait out. I think the best thing to remember is that these are words, not actions. We can probably all recall times in history where threats occurred but things never followed through. Trump does have a lot of power with the codes, but I believe hes wise enough not to make the choice of the first hit. As our president, we need to trust him in times like this, but I think hes got it under control with the assistance of everyone on his side. These threats have definitely not gone too far, there is still a chance of ending the verbal conflict with diplomacy, or back channel talks. The media is fueling the fire in my opinion, the responses are ridiculous. We should consider a full scale war the second North Korea tries anything on the US and our allies. If they fire at us, we fire back, but even this situation is a complete last option, and is the least likely to ever occur.
ReplyDeleteIf the U.S struck north Korea with a nuclear weapon, I think that it wouldn't create a huge world conflict, however it would cause major problems between the allies of North Korea and the two countries. I do not think that it would be a wise decision to strike them with that, until they strike us. I agree with Grace. The two countries could be compared as two children with nuclear weapons. IF we were to drop the first bomb, then that would start a war, that we do not need. We should only use our nuclear power if we feel as if they are going to 99.9% sure that they are going to harm our country first. As a nation, our first goal should be to protect our citizens. It is, however it can be viewed in different ways. One way would be if we used nuclear power first, we would help prevent them destroying us in a big way, however another way people view it is if we let them drop the first bomb, it will most likely cause a war.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. should wait to see what North Korea does before striking. It would be a pretty bad idea as China, boasting one of the most powerful armies in the world, would get involved. It would most likely start World War 3. I think Trump is really aggressive when it comes to military warfare, so I do think that he shouldn't be trusted with the nuclear launch codes. He seems to be the type of person that would attack first, which is what we do not want to do. Unless the tensions between us and North Korea raise even higher than it is now, I think that there is a way to stop the conflict from exploding into nuclear warfare. Kim stated that he would be all for negotiating a treaty. Full-scale war should only be considered if North Korea makes a direct nuclear attack on the United States.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the many consequences of an attack on North Korea, the U.S. should not attack North Korea first. If the U.S. were to do so, North Korea would most definitely counter-attack and leave the U.S. and surrounding countries in danger. As The Intercept reports, "even a conventional war between the U.S. and [North Korea] could kill more than 1 million people; a nuclear exchange, therefore, might result in tens of millions of casualties." Before being too hasty and bringing "fire and fury" to North Korea, as President Trump says, the U.S. should reflect upon the major repercussions it would mean for the world. Many South Koreans would be threatened, as well as U.S. service members, U.S. citizens currently living in South Korea, and other surrounding regional allies. It would also violate the UN charter, which makes an attack on another nation illegal unless conducted in defense or approved by the Security Council.
ReplyDeleteIt is scary that Trump is so eager to respond to threats from North Korea, as Trump does not seem to shown any slight sign of hesitation in North Korean affairs. Perhaps it is because he is interested in enhancing his presidential popularity through military means, but it only causes a more aggressive reaction from North Korean than anything else. A recent warning from Pyongyang informed it was developing a strike that would create "an enveloping fire" around Guam. Regardless of the way the U.S. addresses this problem, however, military conflict with North Korea depends on North Korea's willingness to cooperate.