(VOVWORLD) - Tension between the US and North Korea has intensified since North Korea tested several intercontinental ballistic missiles in July. What is a feasible solution when sanctions and punishments have failed to force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambition?
The US launched ICBM Minuteman III
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The US Department of Defense said it launched a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from a base about 20 km northwest of Lompoc city on Wednesday. The missile launch was a test of the weapon system’s effectiveness, accuracy, and readiness. It was the US’s 4th ICBM test this year and the 2nd this week, just days after North Korea fired a Hwasong-14 ICBM into the Sea of Japan.
When the US loses its patience with North Korea
The Minuteman III is part of the US nuclear force, together with Trident IIIs on Ohio-class submarines and nuclear weapon on strategic bombers. The Minuteman III has a range in excess of 13,000 kilometers. Each missile carries a W87 warhead which has a maximum explosive power of 475 kilotons, 31 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The test was a warning to North Korea, on whom diplomatic measures have had no effect.
Republican Congressman Lindsey Graham said on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday that President Donald Trump will engage in a war rather than allow North Korea to have a nuclear-armed ICBM. He added that if diplomatic measures, particularly pressure on China to stop North Korea’s nuclear program, fail, the US will pursue military measures.
Commander of the US Pacific Air Forces General Terrence J.O’Shaughnessy said his force is ready to respond to Pyongyang, the most dangerous threat in the region. US Vice President Mike Pence said the “era of strategic patience is over”. The US President will lead the international coalition to put more economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear missile program.
But China, an ally of North Korea, has a different view. Responding to North Korea’s latest missile launch, China issued a mild statement that it was a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The US called China’s reaction “ineffective”. If China does nothing to rein in North Korea, the US will take strong action, President Trump said on Saturday.
Are sanctions a feasible strategy?
World powers have tried to rein in North Korea’s weapon program through UN-backed sanctions. But all efforts have been in vain and the US is losing its patience.
Since Donald Trump took office, the US has pressed for stronger sanctions. The US was hopeful about getting China to enforce international sanctions on North Korea, but China is not ready to do so. In the first half of this year, Chinese exports to North Korea increased an estimated 20% and North Korea’s GDP increased about 3.9% despite sanctions.