If technology makes the proliferation of WMDs inevitable, then how the world handles the current crisis with North Korea will tell us a lot about our future.
That North Korea shows that technology makes the proliferation of WMDs inevitable is as real as it is ominous. A rogue leader has obtained WMDs shows that it is possible for other rogue leaders to do the same. Here we should note that rogue leaders who have at their disposal WMDs do not have to be leaders of states. They can be leaders of non-state actors. And here, we should note that it is not necessary for all rogue leaders to gain access to WMDs to prove that the proliferation of WMDs is inevitable.
Next, there are multiple reasons why a leader like Kim Jong-un would want to own WMDs. And all we have to do is look at why the major powers have WMDs to be able to see these reasons. One reason is that having the ability to use WMDs can act as a deterrent to any outside attack. And it isn't a matter of whether Jong-un has an equal number of WMDs as his enemies. His possession of WMDs makes the price of intervening in some aggressive action of his extremely high.
Another reason why a leader like Kim Jong-un would want possession of WMDs is that either as a deterrent or a first strike weapon, possession of WMDs makes leaders like Kim Jong-un more powerful and enables them to take more aggressive actions against others, especially one's neighbors. Thus, the red line North Korea would have to cross before other nations would intervene becomes redrawn and thus allowing North Korea to get away with more. And history teaches us that when a nation successfully shows aggression against others, it can cause nationalism and support for the leader of that nation to soar. Thus, increasing public support for a leader's power over his/her own nation becomes another reason motivation for rogue leaders to possess WMDs.
But Kim Jong-un's possession also comes with a liability. That liability is that his possession of WMDs comes within a context of a state. That limits how much aggression Kim Jong-un can exert before he does cross a red line and has to pay devastating consequences. So what would happen if a non-state rogue leader gains possession of WMDs? Because non-state rogue actors can be dispersed in several locations and hide within friendly states, the WMDs possessed by nations like our own become less of a threat to these non-state rogue leaders.
Despite all of our nation's talk and posturing, our foreign policies easily show that our nation does not follow the rule of law. Instead, it follows the rule of force provided that there is no significant deterrent to our use of force. And in relying on the rule of force, we have provided a perfect model of behavior for rogue leaders like Kim Jong-un. By relying on the rule of force, we have made the world into a king-of-the-hill battle that naturally gives others reason to strive to be the next king.
So how we respond to North Korea's current development of additional WMDs points us to our future. For even if we were able to forever eliminate the threat North Korea poses with its weapons, there are sure to be other rogue leaders who also gain access to WMDs. Here we should note that nuclear weapons are not the only kind of WMD we should worry about. And we should note that technology enables the obtaining of WMDs because technology is very user friendly. What is our technology today can easily become the world's technology tomorrow. All of this should tell us that if we continue to rely on the rule of force because we are presently able to, there will be a reckoning some day in the future. At least, that is what the ghost of Christmas future is pointing our attention to.
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