Handling North Korea

North Korea has pushed itself back to the global political agenda. The small dictatorship has the strange ability to insert itself into the global debate on militarism – almost at will. Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea has only increased its notoriety on the global scale by issuing one provocation after another. The big question, however, is how serious should North Korea be taken. The recent increase in tensions between North Korea and the US is a classic case. The Trump administration upped its rhetoric on North Korea after the latter announced another ballistic missile test. Warned not to launch the missile – which US officials suggest was a submarine-launched missile – North Korea went ahead with the missile test from land. The missile exploded immediately after the launch. In a traditional understanding, this would constitute a major embarrassment to North Korea. But ironically, the affair has left the US embarrassed; the US had already dispatched an aircraft carrier towards the North Korean peninsula. North Korea remains untouchable after having chosen a path of complete isolation for almost half a century now. There is little more that global powers can do against the country.

What is more worrying is that the Trump administration and North Korea make the worst possible enemies. Both are paranoid regimes whose behavior cannot be predicted. This is why – perhaps – there is genuine concern amongst analysts that North Korea may become another global battle zone. Tensions between North Korea and the US have remained high for decades, but the US has not resorted to military measures against North Korea in recent years. North Korea is considered the only country in the world that could trigger a nuclear war. The fact, tough, is that threats from North Korea need to be taken with less seriousness if they are to be dissipated unless there is an actual plan to act. Moreover, there is a need for countries – such as China – that have the ear of both the US and North Korea to act as mediators. North Korea may need to be handled with care but the country’s threat cannot be exaggerated to start another war in an already unstable world.