Recent years have yielded significant coverage of so-called “rogue states” and the alleged threat they pose to world peace. Nations of particular repute, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, have persistently been designated as such, with the United States of America helming the promotion of this label. Along with these charges, the United States, with the help of its western puppet states, has taken it upon itself to counteract these “rogue states” and, in doing so, placed itself on the pedestal of world police. Historical and contemporary analysis, however, proves the United States to be uniquely ill-suited to act as global law enforcement.
North Korea and the Forgotten War
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea or the DPRK, is a frequent target for western media attacks. A single missile test from the DPRK is often enough to send the headlines into a frenzy and have several respected commentators prophesying the third World War. While these weapons tests are meant to serve as a warning, cautioning the South and the United States against aggression, it is ill-conceived to assign further meaning to them. However much enmity the DPRK possesses towards the United States, it has nothing to gain and everything to lose from an all out war.
Historically, the United States has not refrained from complete and utter destruction when dealing with the DPRK. The Korean War, which some refer to as “the Forgotten War” due to its lack of media coverage, showed what the United States is capable of when it really wants to throw its weight around. Following the breakout of the war and the subsequent military intervention into North Korea, the United States begun a bombing campaign that killed an estimated 20% of the North Korean population as well as leveled most of the nation’s infrastructure. In what should be considered a relatively reasonable reaction, the DPRK has since maintained a burning animosity towards the United States yet, curiously, the DPRK never so much as attempted to massacre American civilians in a similar fashion. Regardless of the differences in strength between the United States and North Korea, it might be wise for the United States to consider at least pretending to be a force for good if they desire to be the moral guardians of the world.
Although the DPRK has gone through a showy process of arming itself in the past few years it is, perhaps, an understandable response to United States influence in the region. To gain a sense of perspective, suppose the United States exploded into a civil war of its own. Now suppose that the People’s Republic of China engaged in a bombing campaign on behalf one side of the conflict that resulted in 30 million American deaths. How might the United States behave towards China? It is difficult to get into that frame of mind, considering the United States is the only country to ever engage in such behaviour at such a level, but the point remains that the United States likely wouldn’t be too friendly with China after such events — especially considering the currently tense relationship between the United States and China following a trade war and political disputes.
Iran and the War on Terror
The Islamic Republic of Iran, also known as Persia or simply Iran, is a regional power in the Middle East and another nation often targeted by western media attacks. As a Shi’a Islamic state, Iran is a constant rival to the main Sunni power in the region, U.S.-backed Saudi Arabia, as well as the world’s sole Jewish state, U.S.-backed Israel. As one might expect, these rivalries frequently put Iran at odds with the United States. Recently, with the Israeli development of nuclear weapons, Iran too has sought nuclear capabilities. This is something the United States stubbornly refuses to allow. Eventually, through hard fought diplomacy, an agreement was reached known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also called the Iran Nuclear Deal, in which Iran would not develop nuclear weapons. Less than 3 years later, this deal was overturned by the United States.
In the aftermath of 9/11, the United States unleashed ruin upon numerous countries in the Middle East. The ill-named “War on Terror” achieved little but the massacre of civilian populations in the region and infrastructural devastation. Civilians directly killed by the United States in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. And these estimates neglect to take into account the millions of civilians who have died or been displaced as an indirect result of the regional devastation.
Now, a new nuclear deal is in the works. With Iran having suffered through continuous aerial attacks from the United States, they seem to be pushing hard for more concessions from the West in order for the deal to be re-established. Likely demands include the lifting of certain sanctions designed to starve the Iranian population, as well as a cease on aerial campaigns. Whether or not the United States and the West give in to Iran’s demands remains to be seen, but perhaps it would be preferable if they refused. Considering the invasions of both Iraq and Afghanistan, neither of which had any nuclear capabilities, it seems that the only reliable way to deter a U.S. invasion of Iran might as well be the threat of nuclear war.
Necessary Defence
The United States has been swift at attempting to deter adversarial nations from obtaining nuclear capabilities, with attempts ranging from limited to relative success, but what exactly gives the United States the right to determine which nations are allowed nuclear weapons? Not only is the United States completely unjustified in demanding other nations refrain from nuclear development but, I would argue, the United States is uniquely suited to be banned from having nuclear weapons itself. Throughout the entire history of human civilization, only one nation has used a nuclear weapon against another – and that nation is not Iran or North Korea. With the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of civilians, taking into account the multiple near-misses of nuclear war with the Soviet Union in the Cold War, as well as the absolute refusal to sign a no first-use agreement, the United States has proved that it is arguably the only nation completely undeserving of nuclear capabilities.
Iran and North Korea both have valid reasons for wanting nuclear weapons. As shown by the history of the Cold War, the threat of mutually assured destruction is the most effective way to deter the United States from forcing its influence upon a sovereign nation. If any other country were in their shoes, they would be foolish not to do the same. Not only is the United States utterly ill-suited to perform the role of world police, but they are perhaps the most powerful rogue state to ever exist.
Edited by Yu Xuan Zhao
Alexander Morris-Schwarz is a third-year student at McGill University where he is majoring in Political Science with a minor in Communication Studies. Alexander is currently a staff writer for Catalyst and he is interested in international relations and imperialism.