On Tuesday, North Korea performed a nuclear test with a blast of over seven kilotons — its third and largest test since 2006. The North Korean government declared that this was a “first response” against the United States and, if Washington, D.C. remained hostile towards them, this would not be the last.
This loaded measure followed a statement submitted by the North Korean National Defense Commission in January, which affirmed that a nuclear test would be intended for the United States, “the sworn enemy of the Korean people.”

New Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday that the United States must have credibility in promoting nuclear disarmament after North Korea’s nuclear test. To

Kerry, this means the United States should build its credibility by responding to North Korea, which will increase our leverage with Iran. But the true sign of credibility in the nuclear nonproliferation argument would be for the United States itself to shrink the size of its massive nuclear arsenal. This may not be immediately feasible, but military action is certainly not the answer.

U.S. government officials view Tuesday’s test as an offensive measure, but North Korea has publicly announced their actions as a defensive tactic to dissuade American aggression.

Most commentators, including Kerry, have proposed some display of strength or aggression in response to North Korea’s nuclear test. Given the United States’ storage of nuclear weapons in South Korea for over three decades to potentially use against North Korea and China’s increasing support for tougher sanctions against North Korea, such a display would only exacerbate the problem.

A far better response would be diplomacy. North Korea is like a bee and the United States is like a child. It is important to remember that the bee is just as afraid of the child as the child is of it. North Koreans are indoctrinated from an early age to fear an American attack. Past militaristic actions by the United
States have done nothing to mitigate these fears.

Our government will have to accept that North Korea, and every other country, has just as much right to the defensive capabilities of nuclear weapons as we do. America is no longer in a position of moral authority where it can dictate to the world who is or is not allowed to have nuclear weapons. It would be foolish and ultimately dangerous to continue acting as if we are.