Nuclear weapons tend to trump all other considerations, especially when one is detonated. Although the United States, China, and Russia responded to North Korea’s latest nuclear weapon test with messages of condemnation, policymakers continue to lack the novel solutions and cooperation needed to address a growing nuclear threat. For the US and its allies, China’s influence over the North and Russia’s improved relations with Pyongyang offer the best chance; however, China and Russia will be weary of becoming a target for North Korea.
In proclaiming the North’s alleged ability to build a miniaturized hydrogen bomb capable of being mounted to a ballistic missile, the world knows its leadership either feels the need to lie or believes its scientists can actually build an H-bomb. As the magnitude of the latest detonation is nearly equal to the 2013 test, it appears the North’s claims are baseless. At best, the use of a hydrogen isotope may allow North Korean scientists to claim they have technically made a “hydrogen bomb.” While good news, it suggests Kim Jong-Un, who should be addressed in a respectful way, is overconfident in his war machine’s ability to conquer the world.
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The Sunni-Shia divide is the cultural San Andreas Fault of the Muslim world. Although much of the strife throughout the Middle East reflects a sectarian flavor and sectarian violence is a common problem, Sunnis and Shiites throughout the world are able to coexist, absent the socioeconomic and political issues that enflame their historic grievances.
Should a violent culture clash that unifies Sunnis and Shiites against each other ever erupt, it will dwarf the Arab Spring Revolutions while sparking unmanageable chaos that will last for decades. Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr for what appears to be little more than political dissent could be a catalyst for such a conflict. Guest Blogger Tim I Gurung of ISSLCare has graciously provided the following article for the Washington Outsider. Although the post has been edited by Washington Outsider editor, the ideas and views expressed are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Washington Outsider or its staff, unless otherwise stated.
Facing an Indian blockage and an unfolding humanitarian crisis amid dramatic political shifts, it seems the ordeals of Nepal will just not end. As Nepal continues to recover from the devastating earthquake it experienced in April, the unofficial Indian blockade is grinding the entire nation to a screeching halt as it gradually cripples the already impoverished country. Implementing its new constitution in an effort to become a federal democracy, Nepal angered India. The reason behind their so-called dissatisfaction is said to be the unfair treatment of the Madhesi People of Indian descent from the flat plain land of Terai, which has stronger connections with India’s Northern states than the hilly capital of Nepal back in Kathmandu. In reality, that is just an excuse. There is a lot more going on behind the scenes. India is actually punishing Nepal for not falling in line with Indian interests. (Editor’s Note from The Washington Outsider: This might be considered analogous to Russian’s political subjugation of Ukraine, which ultimately sparked when the Ukraine Crisis when the US and the West intervened.) Middle Eastern cultures are defined by trade. The practice of bartering continues to be so deeply entrenched in the lives of many Middle Easterners that it shapes their very culture as well as the way they think. When it comes to government and diplomacy, the shrewdness of leaders from the likes of Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq are very much on display.
True to their merchant nature, the Iranians fiercely negotiated the Iranian Nuclear Deal while the US struggled throughout the Iraq War to bargain with Iraq over subsidizing Iraq’s own national security. Although oil-rich Saudi Arabia has been far more liberal with spending and Turkey had devoted itself to building its alliances with NATO members, their aptitude for bartering has also pushed them to pursue counterproductive policies. |
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