The Politics of Nuclear Blackmail

My op-ed in the Free Lance-Star was published today.

Being a member of the nuclear club clearly has its privileges. In today’s post-9/11 world, every threat made by Pyongyang must be taken seriously. North Korea can manipulate and intimidate American diplomacy with threats of nuclear holocaust.

What would a nuclear Saddam have been able to get away with? Kill a few thousand Kurds? Tough luck. Invade Kuwait? What will America do about it? Place an iron boot on the throat of Israel? Turnabout is fair play.

Weapons of mass destruction in the wrong hands allow our enemies to undermine every policy action we might take.