STRATFOR on the N.Korean nuclear test

May 28, 2009 · Posted in Blogroll, Uncategorized

Stratfor has a very interesting editorial on the global significance (or, in their view, the lack thereof) of the recent North Korean nuclear test. Along the way it provides a broad look back at the political & geostrategic effect of nuclear weapons so far.

So through it all, the world carried on, its fundamental dynamics unchanged by the ever-present threat of nuclear war. Indeed, history has shown that once a country has acquired nuclear weapons, the weapons fail to have any real impact on the country’s regional standing or pursuit of power in the international system.

Nuclear arms are better understood as an insurance policy, one that no potential aggressor has any intention of steering afoul of. Without practical military or political use, they remain held in reserve — where in all likelihood they will remain for the foreseeable future.

Tags: North Korea, nuclear weapons