A Series of Unfortunate Events

The U.S. should confront North Korea over its missile test

By Anthony J. Bonilla

North Korea’s launch of a missile capable of hitting Alaska should prod the U.S. to reassess the region. The goal in Asia should be to maximize democratic aspirations and minimize military entanglement. The U.S. should institute a policy of containment of North Korea. It is a rogue state that can cause major destruction in the region. To defend itself, Japan ought to follow a policy similar to America’s Mutually Assured Destruction Policy during the Cold War. Should North Korea launch a missile in the area, Japan should consider it an attack on it and respond in full force. American and European rhetoric of condemning North Korea does not have the same effect as its neighbors actively confronting it.

War in the Korean peninsula would destabilize the area. The U.S. currently stations some 25,000 troops in South Korea. Should North Korea attack the South and U.S. troops fall under fire, the U.S. would respond. But US forces should not invade North Korea. They should only push North Korean forces back to their border and allow South Korean forces to attack the North as they see fit.

The U.S. military could open a third military front, but should avoid this route because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. Pacific Command led by Admiral J. Keating would respond to a military threat. The entire U.S. Navy-Marine team comprises more than 135,000 personnel, 180 ships, and 1,400 aircraft. U.S. Air Forces Pacific comprises approximately 39,000 airmen and 350 aircraft; and the U.S. Army Pacific has about 50,000 personnel. Their consolidated power would overwhelm North Korean forces.

In case South Korea invades North Korea, the South should receive aid from the U.S. The Japanese should also send troops and similar assistance. The CIA and Japanese intelligence services should increase their intelligence gathering in the area to better understand the North’s foreign policy. But the countries in the region ought to conduct most of the fighting because they have the most at stake.

The U.S. could avoid a war if the North suffered a succession crisis. Once Kim Jong Il dies, there is no clear successor to the dictatorship. A governmental crisis could cause instability within the state. During this time of instability the CIA could sponsor an insurrection. Afterwards, the South Koreans could take control of the region and either help the North Koreans establish a democratic government or annex it. Foreign aid could be poured into the North Korean territory to show the people that the new order is far superior to the tyranny they endured.

Containment will prevent North Korea from taking military action. The end of Kim Jong Il’s reign will allow North Koreans to gain their freedom. The U.S. should aid the freedom forces while keeping its military out of the main theater of war.