North Korean defectors, America and WMD

If anyone doubts America being the land of opportunity, one should simply ask a North Korean defector. Living in Korea, I routinely field questions about U.S. policy and hegemony. Many people, especially other Westerners are quick to defend North Korea and their nuclear ambitions. One common argument is that if America has nuclear weapons, then it's hypocrisy to object to North Korea having said weapons. This argument is full of holes.

The first counter to that suggestion is that the U.S. has a statute preventing nuclear usage in a first-strike scenario. North Korea has publicly stated a willingness to use nuclear ballistic missiles against the U.S. North Korea and Iran are among the only nuclear-potential or nuclear-capable nations that have declared a willingness for first-strike nuclear usage. This critical policy difference is the fundamental factor in the logic to deny weapons technology to those countries. Even in Iraq, where tactical nuclear weapons could be effectively employed, the U.S. has not used WMD. Without delving into the potentially classified areas of our military strategy, it's obvious that the U.S. has no plans for nuclear usage in a first-strike scenario, even in a difficult war such as in Iraq.

North Korea, by its own admission has readied plans for WMD attacks on Seoul, Japan and the United States. These plans are only countered by two things: a lack of delivery technology and the U.S. deterrent.