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The New
The Cold War
With tensions between the U.S and
North Korea rising, one might question, what will happen? But this is not the first nuclear threat the U.S has faced.
After World War II, the U.S faced a new threat from their former ally, the Soviet Union. This was known as the Cold War, a conflict waged on political, economic, and propaganda fronts. The Cold War lasted from 1947 until 1991. This was a conflict between two world superpowers who were each trying expand their ideological empires with the help of nuclear technology.
This tension caused Soviet ally North Korea to invade U.S.-supported South Korea in 1950, which’s consequences have never truly settled. Throughout the Cold War, the U.S and the Soviet Union avoided direct confrontation due to the concept of mutual assured destruction or M.A.D. Instead, they both engaged in military operations known as proxy wars to eliminate opposing allies and to recruit allies of their own.
North Korean Conflict
The conflict created between North and South Korea only stopped on a cease fire and is still going on presently. The communist controlled North Korea has itself begun to develop nuclear technology and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, and U.S President Donald Trump have exchanged sharp words and threats. The tensions are so bad that another North Korean missile test could result in conflict. There are many options on how the U.S could react, but what is the right choice? The U.S could launch a pre-emptive strike or wait to shoot down a missile. A pre-emptive strike would surely result in a war that we are not yet at, but with every missile test North Korea gets more information to perfect future launches.
Candor
EJ McElmeel