During the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West, the prospect of nuclear weapons raining down on major cities was palpable. The world was on edge for decades while the superpowers amassed large arsenals of weapons and aimed them at their opponent’s major cities. The arms race reached a stalemate in the mutually assured destruction (MAD) of both sides if one was to initiate war. Looking back, MAD saved the world from conflict. In the more complex, less binary world we now live in, we no longer have such certainty.
Instead, there are groups and regimes that would love to acquire a nuclear weapon and use it. Imagine ISIL with a dirty bomb or Al Qaeda with a similar device. There is no convention in place that keeps extremists from using such weapons. These groups understand no consequences and operate only as if they have nothing to lose.
Rogue states such as North Korea are also in the process of acquiring powerful arsenals. Pyongyang’s long-range missile test on Sunday, which went ahead despite condemnation from the international community, underlines the recklessness of the country’s leadership. Over the past decade, the regime has tested nuclear bombs and the means to deliver them without regard for dissenting opinion. Sanctions and isolation from the rest of the world have done little to dissuade North Korean rulers. More- over, the regime has watched Iran successfully negotiate its way back into the fold using the concrete threat of nuclear weapons production as a successful bargaining chip.
With little regard for the consequences, North Korea continues down the path to amassing a significant arsenal of weapons and the means to deliver them, while the world calls emergency sessions at the United Nations Security Council and does little else. We are not living in the Cold War. There are no safeguards in place to keep the prospect of nuclear war at bay. We can ill afford to ignore the threat posed by North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and others like him.