Tribune columnist Steve Chapman has it right in his piece “The looming nuclear danger; The U.S. has little leverage to deter North Korea or Iran from pursuing their nuclear ambitions. Our only real choices are unpleasant” (Commentary, Feb. 13).
There are no good answers to thwarting the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.
Because he worries that North Korea might sell nukes to any willing buyer, or that Iran might smuggle them to terrorist groups, he recommends that both states receive nuclear mega-threats: “Should a nuclear attack take place that we trace back to them–no matter who carries it out–they will face annihilation.”
There are some major problems here.
As we have learned, reliable intelligence is not our strong suit.
Could we properly assess blame for a nuclear attack that might take place half a world away?
And, second, our nuclear punishment could not be limited to the offending state; long-lasting fallout would poison large sectors of East Asia or the Middle East.
Finally, and most problematic:
What if an erratic and belligerent Kim Jong Il should call President Bush’s bluff and play a traceable role in the destruction of an American military base in, say, Alaska.
Are we really prepared to annihilate an entire nation in reprisal?
Could any single act more quickly extinguish the world’s remaining goodwill toward the United States of America?
