Lets not forget the North Korea threat?
Violating all international norms on nuclear proliferation the
government of North Korea even changed the constitution of the country to declare itself a “nuclear-armed state”
Rizwan Asghar
After three underground nuclear tests, there is little doubt left in the minds of nuclear scholars that North Korea has become a full-fledged nuclear weapons state. What makes the fact more alarming is that nuclear weapons have turned the country into one of the most vexing problem of the international community in the post-coldwar period.
It is also partially true that Pyongyang faced external security threats from South Korea and the US during the cold-war era. However, prominent historians and international relations scholars believe that security threats were not the primary reason behind development of North Koreas nuclear deterrent. Rather, the quest for regional prestige and bureaucratic politics created the conditions that favoured the nuclear option by encouraging extreme perceptions of national security.
It would not be wrong to say that North Korea, a country of almost 25 million people, has emerged as a rogue nuclear state ruled by an insane, ruthless leader. The people of North Korea continue to obey an oppressive regime because they are caught in a web of misinformation and rumour spun by their paranoid leaders. North Koreas current leader, Kim Jong-un, widely known for his periodic madness, is definitely not the right person to have control of nuclear weapons in his hands.
One reason the international community has remained unable to prevent North Korea from going down this dangerous path is Beijings failure to support the global community against North Korea.
North Korea joined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1985, under Soviet pressure, but did not allow safeguard inspections until 1992, raising many questions about its commitment to the goals of non-proliferation and disarmament. Even after 1992, North Koreas leaders were not ready to voluntarily give up their enrichment program because of Chinas tacit support.
In March 1993, Kim ll-sung, the supreme leader of the country, insinuated his countrys possible withdrawal from the NPT, setting the stage for the first North Korean nuclear crisis. Although, the crisis was resolved temporarily in October 1994 when the country signed an agreement the Agreed Framework with the United States, North Koreas nuclear establishment was not ready to be transparent about its long-term nuclear ambitions.
In addition to freezing key parts of North Koreas nuclear programme, the agreement also permitted comprehensive inspections of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sites. In 2002, a welter of new evidence emerged that North Korea was still working on a secret uranium enrichment programme.
In the beginning, North Korean officials resorted to outright denial in the face of compelling evidence but their confrontational posture ultimately led to the breakdown of the Agreed Framework. Despite intense diplomatic pressure, in 2003 North Korea became the first state to withdraw from the NPT and, after few weeks, the government expelled the IAEA inspectors.
Increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula resulted in the launch of the Six Party Talks to end the nuclear crisis through negotiations involving China. This process marked a reversal of the Bush administrations non-engagement policy. Other members were North Korea, South Korea, the United States, Russia, and Japan. However, Kim Jong-il was not ready to accept any step towards the verifiable denuclearisation of his country.
Additionally, the process was hindered many times by North Koreas repeated missile tests. And the talks reached a stalemate in 2006 when North Korea conducted first underground nuclear test and became the worlds ninth nuclear power.
Despite dishonouring many previous commitments to dismantle its nuclear programme, North Korea made another commitment in February 2007 to shut down the key plutonium production facilities at Yongbyon in exchange for an aid package of $400 million and fuel oil shipment. After continued efforts by the international community, North Korea also became part of a formal agreement to disable all nuclear weapons facilities.
The talks broke down, once again, in December 2008 following North Koreas refusal to give IAEA inspectors unlimited access to suspected nuclear sites. In 2009, North Korea conducted another nuclear test and also began reprocessing spent fuel rods. Although Six Party Talks have not been held after 2009, different countries have held bilateral talks with the North Korean regime from time to time.
The writer is a journalist
