North Korea's Nuclear Weapons

What is North Korea’s Nuclear Weapon Program?

Korea has an active nuclear weapons which has tested nuclear explosive devices throughout the 2000s. North Korea’s Nuclear Weapon program started in 1989, at the end of the Cold War when the Soviet Union dissolved. As the Soviet Union dissolved, tension rose between North Korea and the United States, who was allied with South Korea and Japan. North Korea at this time already signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1985, an agreement that prevented the spread nuclear weapons technology to promote disarmament and peace with nuclear energy. Despite this, they began training North Korean scientists and technologists on how to implement a Nuclear Weapon program. In 2002, North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-Il, decided to withdraw North Korea from the non-proliferation treaty after being accused of running starting a nuclear weapons program. Ever since their withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty, North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has tested several nuclear explosive devices throughout the 2000s. The UN security council responded to North Korea through sanctions against the program, which includes Resolution 1695, 1718, 1874, 2087, and 2270. The purpose of these sanction resolutions is condemn their nuclear  activity by reducing North Korea’s economic activity and inspect North Korean cargo to seize and dispose all unlawful shipments.

Three of North Korea’s leaders from the Kim dynasty

Throughout the 2000s, North Korea’s line of the Kim family dynasty aims to continue their practice of nuclear weapons. They believe that a nuclear weapons program will secure their country North Korea wants to prove their nuclear capabilities so that that stabilize their country. North Korea tests their nuclear weapons programs within range of South Korea and Japan  to prove that they’re capable of attacking at any time and wiping out the capital cities of South Korea and Japan. The only thing that’s stopping them from launching their nuclear weapons is the United States, who’s protecting Japan and South Korea with the largest ICBM arsenal in the world. North Korea is currently trying to build an ICBM to threaten the United States. If North Korea were to successfully build an ICBM, this could influence South Korea, Japan, and other countries to try to build nuclear weapons of their own, creating a nuclear proliferation. If tensions continue to rise with North Korea, more countries who signed the non-proliferation treaty will be influenced to change their nuclear status. The United States is currently taking action by influencing China to reduce or even cut off their trade relationship with North Korea so that they don’t have the resources to build the ICBM. Tensions still continue to rise between the United States and North Korea as Trump is being pressed to take action to prevent North Korea from improving their nuclear weapons program.

An example of the Nuclear Weapons North Korea possesses

A Historical Timeline of North Korea’s Nuclear Weapon Program

1985: North Korea signs the Non-Proliferation Treaty but doesn’t complete a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

1993: The International Atomic Energy Agency requires North Korea to give inspectors access to two nuclear weapon storage sites. North Korea then decides to stay signed with the treaty and agrees to the full and impartial application of IAEA safeguards.

1994: North Korea and the United States signs the agreement. North Korea agrees to freeze and dismantle their old graphite-moderated nuclear reactors in order to receive international aid to build two new light-water nuclear reactors. North Korean supreme leader Kim Il Sung dies and is succeeded by his song, King Kim Jong Il.

2002: The Bush administration then discovers that North Korea has admitted to operating a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of the 1994 agreement.

2003: North Korea withdraws from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. . U.S. officials confirm that North Korea has restarted their five-megawatt nuclear reactor that had been frozen by the Agreed Framework.

2005: North Korea agrees to give up their nuclear weapons program in exchange for United States, South Korea, China, Japan, and Russia to provide them with energy assistance and economic cooperation.

2006: The UN security council passes a resolution that demands North Korea to suspend their nuclear weapons program. North Korea then announces to have successfully tested their first nuclear weapon.

2007: North Korea then signs an agreement with disable their nuclear weapons facilities after attending a six-party talks in Beijing.

2008: Six-party talks and held again in Beijing where North Korea refuses to allow international inspectors have access to suspected nuclear sites.

2009: North Korea conducts their second nuclear test a few kilometers from its 2006 test site near the village of P’unggye. The UN Security Council condemns the nuclear test and imposes new sanctions

2010: North Korea reveals that is has constructed a 2,000-centrifuge uranium enrichment facility to a visiting team

2013: North Korea performs its third nuclear weapon test according to the U.S Geological Survey

2016: South Korea claims that North Korea performed their fifth nuclear weapon test, and North Korea successfully performs a hydrogen bomb test

2017:North Korea performs its sixth and most recent nuclear weapon test

Why is this topic worthy of our attention? Present your (initial) analysis of its relevance to global politics?

Historical tension

Tension between the U.S and North Korea has existed ever since the Cold War. During the Cold war, Russia (communist) and the US (democratic) were battling one another to defend and spread their political theories. Thus, Russia became allies with North Korea; therefore, making North Korea a communist nation. While the US became allies with South Korea; making South Korea a democratic nation. This lead to the Korean War (1950-1953), when North Korea invaded South Korea to spread communism. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, came to the aid of South Korea. China came to the aid of North Korea, and the Soviet Union gave some assistance. Thus, “Since the end of the Cold War, the United States and North Korea have engaged in on-and-off nuclear negotiations, which have ultimately failed to stop Pyongyang from building a small nuclear arsenal. The two countries have not established diplomatic relations, and a peace treaty ending the Korean War has not been signed” (Wertz, Gannon, 2015). Korea has been divided into two by the intervention of Russia and the U.S, and so, it is partly the U.S’s responsibility to settle this ongoing, and increasingly growing tension we have with North Korea.

Current tension

          Not only has our tension with North Korea never died, but it has recently been escalating due to Mr. Trump’s interaction with Mr. Kim.  North Korea has created an image of “defiant belligerence, punctuating its propaganda and diplomacy with colorful threats, insults and bluster” (Sang-hun, 2017). But on Friday, the nation’s leader, Kim Jong-un, pushed his government’s brinkmanship to a new perilous level. Published on the front pages of state newspapers and read on national television, Mr. Kim called Mr. Trump a “mentally deranged U.S dotard” who had “denied the existence of and insulted me and my country in front of the eyes of the world.” Thus, Mr. Kim vowed to take the “highest level of hardline countermeasure in history.” Although the statement did not mention nuclear weapons, in the context of a political system built on a cult of personality, Mr. Kim’s intervention seems to reduce the possibility that his government might retreat or compromise, even in the face of war. Mr. Kim condemned Mr. Trump’s threat to “totally destroy” North Korea if the United States is forced to defend itself, and he declared that it had “convinced me, rather than frightening or stopping me, that the path I chose is correct and that it is the one I have to follow to the last”. “But other analysts warned that North Korea’s determination to improve its nuclear capabilities- and act offensively- had long been underestimated” (Sang-Hun 2017).

The range that North Korea's nuclear weapons

          The development of nuclear bombs, and bombs in general, simply gives too much power to individual countries. These bombs have the potential to ruin whatever country they want while also ruining nearby countries in many cases. The radius and long term effects of nuclear bombs should be reason enough for any ethical country not to use them. As North Korea continues to be so lighthearted with their nuclear bombs, it makes everyone in the world vulnerable. We all know that North Korea is one of the most dangerous country in our world because of their government and its leadership. After recent statistics of North Korea’s bombs have been let out, it should worry many civilians because the country has been experimenting with inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM), allowing their bombs to go further than ever.  North Korea has made claims that they have recently developed bombs that are capable of reaching “any part of the world”. North Korea’s claims should be a major concern, why? Because the impact of these bombs are unpredictable. The hydrogen bombs that North Korea is contemplating testing is said to have devastating effects, around 4 to 5 times stronger than the one dropped on Nagasaki. The topic of nuclear bombs and North Korea’s bomb usage are critical to everyone’s attention because it can potentially ruin any country or the world itself. It can cause war or a worldwide disease because of the different chemicals a single bomb can contain. Everyone in the world is vulnerable and we should be paying attention to this global topic.

Sources:

BBC (2017, August 10). What we know about NorthKorea's missile programme. Retrieved September 23, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17399847

Gatopoulos, A. (2017, September 03). Three things to know about North Korea's missile tests. Retrieved September 23, 2017, from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/07/north-korea-missile-tests-170706081545433.htm

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). (2014, July 25). Retrieved September 23, 2017, from https://www.iaea.org/publications/documents/treaties/npt

Fact Sheets & Briefs. (2017, September 3). Retrieved September 23, 2017, from https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/dprkchron

CNN  (2017, September 04). North Korea Nuclear Timeline Fast Facts. Retrieved September 23, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/29/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-timeline---fast-facts/index.html

CNN  (2009, May 25). World outraged by North Korea's latest nuke test. Retrieved September 23, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/24/nkorea.nuclear/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Timeline: A Brief History of North Korea's Nuclear Weapon Development. (2017, September 05). Retrieved September 23, 2017, from https://news.usni.org/2017/09/01/timeline-brief-history-north-korean-nuclear-weapon-development

A History of U.S.-DPRK Relations. (2017, June 23). Retrieved September 23, 2017, from https://www.ncnk.org/resources/briefing-papers/all-briefing-papers/history-u.s.-dprk-relations

 The Fifth Round of Beijing Six-party Talks Wraps Up Adopting a Document on the Initial Step to Implement the Joint Statement . (2007, February 13). Retrieved September 23, 2017, from http://www.nti.org/media/pdfs/7_13.pdf?_=13173303

North Korea. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2017, from http://www.nti.org/learn/countries/north-korea/nuclear/

Fact Sheets & Briefs. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2017, from https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/UN-Security-Council-Resolutions-on-North-Korea

SANG-HUN, C. (2017, September 22). North Korea Hits New Level of Brinkmanship in Reacting to Trump. Retrieved September 23, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/world/asia/kim-trump-north-korea.html?mcubz=3

The (Lack of) Rights of LGBT People in Russia

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Background of LGBT Rights in Russia

Although certain regimes had a more favorable view, other regimes and leaders violated the human rights of LGBT people in Russia, with persecution continuing today. Male homosexuality was at first criminalised by Tsarist regime in 1835. When Tsarist Russia was defeated and swept aside by the Bolshevik revolution in 1917, all the established law set by Tsarist government were banished, including the one criminalises homosexuality. But it didn’t mean that Homosexuality is legalized in Russia. In fact, the country went more conservative and institutionalized especially after Joseph Stalin came to power. In 1933, Stalin accepted a proposed law to legalized the arrest and conviction of homosexuals, which last until 1993, when the USSR collapsed. In 1934, Soviet Union claimed that homosexuality is again, criminalised. At that time, hundreds to thousands of men were arrested each year for performing homosexual behavior and sent to camps where they were treated as the lowest of the low in the camp hierarchy(Quince, 2013). After the collapse of the Soviet Union, LGBTQ people continue to be persecuted in the Russian Federation, even in 2017.

Timeline: 

1835: Tsarist Regime criminalized Male Homosexuality

1917: Bolshevik Revolution, homosexuality decriminalized

1929: Stalin becomes dictator of USSR

1933: Stalin criminalized homosexualitiy

1991: Fall of the USSR

1993: Decriminalization of homosexuality

2006: Regions of Russia begin banning “homosexual propaganda”

2006: First attempt at gay pride parade in Moscow

2012: St. Petersburg bans homosexual propaganda

2012: Mayor of Moscow bans gay pride demonstrations for 100 years

2017: First reports of gay men in Chechnya beings persecuted

The Russian translation of this poster is "Always Together!" picture

The USSR and Homosexuality 

When one thinks of the Soviet Union and homosexuality, usually the terms that come to mind are illegal, criminalized, discrimination. But shockingly, this was not always the case. There was a brief period of time where “homosexuality was decriminalized, transgender people were allowed to serve in the army, and an openly gay man was minister of foreign affairs” (Bay, 2016) These rather forward thinking policies towards LGBTQ rights were passed under Lenin and Trotsky’s leadership, and were in place from 1917 to 1926. Unfortunately, and rather unsurprisingly, when Stalin took over these policies were immediately overturned, and homosexuality made illegal in 1933, with a prison hard labor sentence of up to five years. Yet the LGBTQ community still existed, and Yevgeniy Fiks, a Russian American artist, decided to document a piece of gay history in the Soviet Union that was previously undocumented. His book documents picture of gay cruising sites in the Soviet Union, where gay men and women would meet secretly for dates. Fiks also documented gay cruising sites in the United States, as there was a correlation between the attitudes of the Soviet Union and the United States towards homosexuality during the Cold War. Both countries agreed that they didn’t want gay people, and blamed the fact that they were in their country on each other. In the United States, this had the effect of tying together anti-communist and anti-gay witch hunts, because both were seen as trying to undermine the United States.

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The Russian Federation and Homosexuality 

Since the fall of the USSR in 1991  and the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1993, Russian activists have been trying to create a real LGBT community in their country. LGBT people have been invisible in Russian society with the government almost trying to deny their existence. In 1993, even though the law that criminalized homosexuality was annulled, 75 men remained in prison for being gay. Dozens of LGBT rights groups were created in the 1990’s and they started their work with getting the people out of prison and decriminalizing homosexuality. Since violence against out LGBT people was common from the 1990’s until the early 2000’s, Russian LGBT people used their lack of visibility to stay in the closet and protect themselves from harm. In 2006, certain regions of Russia began banning homosexual propaganda, most notably, St. Petersburg in 2012. There was a fear that if these anti-homosexual laws could pass in St. Petersburg, the laws could pass anywhere in Russia. In the 2000’s, LGBT rights groups moved forward to fight laws in a different way than groups in the 90’s. In Moscow, activists tried to organize a gay pride demonstration in 2006. The group was denied permission to hold their events, but the activists marched anyway. Unfortunately, the “marchers were violently attacked by anti-gay Russian nationalist groups” (Schaaf, 2014). And as gay sentiments grew worse, in 2012, Mayor Luzkhkov of Russia banned gay pride demonstrations in his city for 100 years. Another major event in the lives in LGBT Russians in the recent human rights violations of gay and bisexual men in Chechnya. Since April 2017, “reports indicate more than 100 gay and bisexual Chechen men have been arrested and detained without charge” and “there have been numerous verified reports of torture and at least three and possibly as many as 20 men have been killed” (McBride, 2017) . After being accused of such atrocities, Chechen officials deny that these events have happened, but deny the existence of LGBT people at all in Chechnya. Many activist groups from inside and outside Russia have been working to secure the rights of LGBT Russians, but recent news show that there is a long way to go.

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In Conclusion

With human rights violations, history, and current relations between Russia and the U.S. considered, the safety of the LGBT community within Russia alongside foreign issues and events is concerning. The Olympics, having served as a prime opportunity to engage in political statements or protests, successfully shed light on the issue in questioning the safety of LGBT athletes/participants in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Though there are many cultural and religious motivations behind anti-gay laws, especially in Chechnya to which Dewan details, “being gay is considered by many in the Muslim-majority republic to be shameful, and in Chechnya the practice of so-called honor killings -- murder by family members to expunge shame -- is widespread” (2017), the concern for human rights will not likely reach a decline alongside the persistent voice of LGBT movements and groups. Despite this persistence however, many Russian nationalists defend anti-gay laws as an expression of concern for population decline, to which Polyakova offers, “to Putin and many Russians who support him, European cultural liberalism that grants equal rights to same-sex couples is not only degenerate, but also a threat to Russia’s survival as a nation” (2014). All in all, with anti-western sentiments considered, LGBT movements specific to Russia will steadily hold political, social, and cultural significance.

Bibliography

Bay, Timothy. The October Revolution and LGBTQ+ Struggle. 25 Mar. 2016, socialistappeal.org/news-analysis/fight-for-equality/1743-the-october-revolution-and-lgbtq-struggle.html. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.

Bowring, B. Gay Rights in Russia . 12 Jan. 2016, criticallegalthinking.com/2015/06/04/gay-rights-in-russia/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2017.

Dewan, Angela. Merkel Pushes Putin on Chechnya Gay Detention Reports. 2 May 2017, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490992891/OVIC?u=usfca_gleeson&xid=af2220c6. Accessed 20 Sept. 2017.

FitzGerald, Nora. Gay in the USSR. 26 Mar. 2013, foreignpolicy.com/2013/03/26/gay-in-the-ussr/. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.

McBride, B. LGBT Network's Report Highlights Chechnya's Atrocities. 2017, www.hrc.org/blog/five-horrific-testimonies-in-lgbt-networks-report-highlights-chechnyas-atro. Accessed 18 Sept. 2017.

Polyakov, Alina. “STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: Putin and Europe's Far Right.” 2014, www.jstor.org/stable/43555253. Accessed 20 Sept. 2017.

Quince, Annabelle. The History of Homosexuality in Russia: From Soviet Sex Changes to Gay Gulags. 4 Dec. 2013, s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20130810&t=2&i=759240577&r=CBRE97916XZ00&w=1280. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.

Schaaf, M. Harriman Magazine: Winter 2014. 2014, harriman.columbia.edu/news/newsletter/harriman-magazine-winter-2014. Accessed 18 Sept. 2017.

What policies did the European Union formulate and implement to assist in the North African migrant crisis?

Background Information

        The issue of illegal immigration into Europe did not emerge recently, it has been happening since Europe was formed as an entity and first implemented immigration laws, but it has certainly increased in both volume and frequency in recent years, pushing the issue into the international spotlight. The reasons for this are numerous, but for the most part follow a similar storyline. The conflict and strife in various regions has left thousands upon thousands of displaced people searching for security and safety. A lot of these people resort to trying to find security within the borders of the European Union.

There are 3 major entry points into the European landmass that have been used by immigrants and conquerors, traders and smugglers alike for centuries. The first is where Gibraltar sticks down and almost touches Morocco, famously used by the Moors in their invasion of Spain, and the second is where Greece and Turkey nearly rub shoulders but for a sliver of the Aegean Sea, crossed by Alexander the Great at the beginning of his conquests. The third entry point, and by far the most dangerous, is Sicily, which is most easily accessed via boat from the Libyan coast, some 386 miles of blue Mediterranean water away. This route of crossing has become the most popular in recent years for several reasons, but mostly for its location and lack of supervision.

Real Life Example: Libya

To get a better grasp of the situation, we can examine what is happening in Libya and how the internal situation of the country has caused hundreds of people to flee. Libya is located between Algeria and Egypt in the center of North Africa, it is reachable both from Syria and from hotspots around Africa like Nigeria and Somalia, which makes it a natural gathering point. The second, and more important reason Libya has become a hub is its instability. When former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and assassinated in 2011, the multiple rebel groups involved in ousting him failed to reconstitute the government, leaving the country in a violent lurch that produced, among other acts of violence, the famous Benghazi attacks of 2012. The most recent development in regards to the Libyan government is that the UN has installed a “Unity Government” in Tripoli, the capital, that currently faces opposition from at least two other governments and multiple insurgent groups, including the Islamic State. Because of this incredibly volatile political situation, smuggling has run rampant in the country, with smugglers creating their own system of hierarchy and organization centered around capital, not human safety. These smugglers will load flimsy boats with hundreds of people and set them off to sea, leading to the estimated 5,000 immigrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea in 2016.

What has the EU done so far to help with the situation?

The North African migrant crisis is relatively new on the world stage, which means that there aren’t really many policies that are directly geared to alleviating that situation. With this in mind, the European Union has created some general classifications and policies in regards to all refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers. A migrant is defined as being someone who “person who leaves home to seek a new life in another region or country”. This classification includes people who have migrated with government permission (ex: visa or work permit) as well as those who haven’t (undocumented migrant). A refugee is someone who flees their home because of “war, persecution, or natural disaster” and under International Law someone with refugee status cannot be sent back to a place where they could be in danger. When it comes to asylum, the EU “refers to the legal permission to stay somewhere as a refugee, which brings rights and benefits”. With regards to asylum, the EU has created the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) is 2005 to the rights of refugees and asylum seekers are protected by all EU countries. In addition to this the EU has also set certain goals that they hope to accomplish to help deal with the refugee crisis more effectively. These include “reducing the incentives for irregular migration”, “saving lives and securing external borders”, “a strong common asylum policy”, and “a new policy of legal migration”. Hopefully as time progresses the EU will implant policies that will benefit the influx of migrants who just want a better life. They are not there to cause trouble but to think and consider the future of their families.

Why is the North African Migrant Crisis worth our attention?

This European migration issue is something we should all keep in mind, especially those living in the affected areas of Europe and Northern Africa because, as stated earlier, an estimated 5,000 people have died making the journey across the Mediterranean Sea. These people are fleeing from multiple conflicts within North Africa. With this in mind, the North African migrant crisis has garnered the attention of non-governmental organizations like the Human Rights Watch and the Open Society Foundation as well as intergovernmental organizations like the European Union’s European Commission. These organizations, along with several news outlets from around the world, are highlighting the severity of the situation as well as the fact that more needs to be done in 2017 in order to get the situation under control. The Human Rights Watch stresses that the policies implemented by the EU are putting refugee lives at risk. As of the summer of 2016, the EU have not formed and effective united from to create safe channels for refugees and asylum seekers to enter Europe, but rather are creating policies to restrict the amount of refugees that are coming into Europe. Earlier in 2017, EU leaders met in Malta to maybe forge a new partnership with North African in order to place some of the “responsibility for search and rescue to Southern Partners”. The consequences of the Refugee Crisis are felt on a domestic and international level and involve a variety of actors and requires immediate attention.

Bibliography

Al Jazeera (23 December 2016). Mediterranean Migrant Deaths in 2016 Pass 5,000: UN. Al Jazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/mediterranean-migrant-deaths-2016-pass-5000161223130357172.html

British Broadcasting Corporation (4 March 2016) Migrant Crisis: Migration to Europe Explained in Seven Charts. BBC News Online. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911

British Broadcasting Corporation (13 July 2016). Libya Country Profile. BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13754897

European Commision (n.d.). The EU and the Refugee Crisis. European Union European Commission. Retrieved from http://publications.europa.eu/webpub/com/factsheets/refugee-crisis/en/

European Commision (n.d.) Migration. European Union European Commission. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/commission/priorities/migration_en

Human Rights Watch (23 November 2016). EU Policies Put Refugees At Risk: AN Agenda to Restore Protection. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/23/eu-policies-put-refugees-risk

Mayr, Walter (27 April 2016). Refugee Crisis Focus Shifts to North Africa. Spiegel Online. Retrieved from http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/refugee-crisis-focus-shifts-to-north-africa-a-1089536.html

MSNBC (16 May 2016). How Libya Became The Gatekeeper of Africa's Migrant Crisis. MSNBC. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.com/specials/migrant-crisis/libya

Open Society Foundation (December 2016). Understanding Migration and Asylum in the European Union. Open Society Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/understanding-migration-and-asylum-european-union

Prediger, Sebastian & Zanker, Franzisca (22 December 2016). Europe’s Migration ‘Partnerships’ with Africa Need Direction in 2017. The Conversation. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/europes-migration-partnerships-with-africa-need-a-new-direction-in-2017-70695

Samuel, Henry & Squires, Nick (7 July 2017). ‘Millions of Africans’ Will Flood Europe Unless It Acts Now, Warns European Chief, As Paris Evacuates Huge Migrant Camp. The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/07/millions-africans-will-flood-europe-unless-acts-now-warns-european/