Global Affairs

Later this week or early next week, President Trump is set to announce if North Korea will be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism. On the job currently is Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to investigate the claim. North Korea was put on the state sponsorship of terrorism list in 1988 after it bombed a South Korean airliner. North Korea was removed from this list in 2008 when President Bush hoped to strike a deal with the country in freezing it's nuclear program. Today the question remains, does North Korea sponsor terrorism? To answer this question, let's turn to the region of Lebanon and Palestine. In the area, there are two groups referred to as Hamas and Hezbollah. In short, Hamas is a pro-Palestine group whose aim is to take back the lands of Israel. In order to achieve success, Hamas has turned to killings and suicide bombings. Tactics that have condemned them by Israel, the EU, and the United States as a terrorist organization. Hamas' second goal is to establish ...

Imagine a foreign state that has no deterrence capabilities. On top of that, this particular country is experiencing serious poverty and a famine crisis. For an outside state, like the U.S., invading this country would be simple. There would be no option for the government of this state to retaliate if it had inadequate defense to deter. The presence of nuclear weapons, however, would completely change this dynamic. Now, you have a state that is able to deter outsiders from invading and implementing any type of regime change. This is where we stand with North Korea today. A country that is fully capable of deterring in order to sustain regime success. The presence of nuclear weapons in North Korea is as much strategic as it is threatening. Kim Jong-Un wants the world, including the United States, to fear North Korea. In doing so, North Korea can control the outcome. The United States and its allies are understandably afraid of Kim Jong-Un and his regime. In the foreign policy realm,...