Wednesday marked the day that North Korea agreed to abide by international standards on nuclear weaponry. But is that what the world wants?

Since North Korea started its nuclear program it has produced one rudimentary nuclear device and enough plutonium for roughly eight weapons. Weapon experts say that it will be years before North Korea is a threat to the world because it has yet to build an effective bomb and it doesn’t have a delivery system. The only threat that North Korea poses is to South Korea and parts of Japan. It has the capabilities to drop over 500,000 shells an hour onto the area around the city of Seoul, a spot populated by about 25 million South Koreans.

North Korea’s excuse for building its armaments is that the United States poses a nuclear threat, so in order to have a better chance at protecting its national interest it must have the same capabilities. With North Korea’s personal concerns aside, the real question is whether diplomacy will work to deter the country and if its agreement to international standards makes anyone feel safer.

Marie-Geneviève Sasseville Babecki, a senior international relations and Latin American studies major, said she believes that North Korea poses an obvious threat but so does every other country with nuclear weapons.

‘No country should have nuclear weapons and the only way to establish that is through nuclear free zones like those created in Latin America, Central Asia and the Middle East,’ Sasseville Babecki said.

Sasseville Babecki proposed that the United States get rid all of its own nuclear weapons: ‘The United States can’t ask any country to dispose of its weapons if it hasn’t gotten rid of its own first.’

Even though her solution is idealistic in approach, it is commendable and correct in the fact that the United States cannot expect nations to discontinue arming themselves, even though there was a recent agreement to reduce nuclear arms by 30 percent.

A more appropriate solution to the matter would be to allow North Korea to keep its nuclear program, but continue to impose sanctions until the country has proven its responsibility on an international and regional scale. Many would favor a move to force North Korea to give up its nuclear program all together — that won’t happen. The country is known for pressuring states through the use of weapons and will continue to do so until it obtains what it wants. The only way to deal with the ‘rogue’ nation at this point is to force it to act responsible from here on out.

There are myriad other solutions to deal with North Korea but the country has thus far evaded any tactics that will throw it off course. The Obama administration must realize this and keep a watchful eye. If you can’t get rid of your enemy, make them join you. An ally is better controlled than an adversary.

John Sumpter is a junior international relations and Middle Eastern studies major. His column appears weekly and he can be reached at [email protected].

Published on April 21, 2010 at 12:00 pm