Shelton 1

Stephen Shelton
English 100
Professor Morean
2 December 1, 2014
To nuke or not to nuke
The camps were overcrowded. Yuki Yakikama witnessed firsthand the effects a
nuclear war can have on an innocent population; After leaving the safe haven of a dental
school in order to help those in nuclear fallout camps. Yuki learned, most refugees in
the camp never even knew of Pearl Harbor or the acts associated with the event.
However, their country had left them to suffer, it is not clear how many Hiroshima
residents died of cancer from [radiation] as a source, but some estimates put it at [over a
hundred-thousand](Roan). Yukis and many other cases show nuclear proliferation is a
health concern for many countries along with other political and militarily factors
associated with disarmament. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not the only sites to be
plagued by nuclear fallout; Chernobyl was also a key study tool in attaining awareness of
radiation.
Health Concerns
On the eve of the 10th anniversary of history's worst nuclear power plant
disaster, scientists report that a group of children 120 miles away who were born eight
years after a reactor exploded near Chernobyl, Ukraine, have twice as many mutations in
their DNA as do other children(Monemany). Although, these scientists have long known
that radiation can permanently damage DNA, this study by scientists in Russia and
England offers the first evidence that people can pass such nuclear mutations to their

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children. The author states that he does not know if the mutations will affect the health of
the children, who otherwise appeared normal (monemany). Using DNA fingerprinting,
the investigators analyzed stretches of DNA that have no known biological function but
are nonetheless vulnerable to mutations, thus serving as a chemical sentinel of change
within a person's genome, or genetic makeup(Monemany). This can be very dangerous
considering the generation of kids these children will father are highly susceptible to
many types of cancer and genetic mutations. While some argue that this has no relevance
to their lives or the lives of their generations of children, this is not true. With the recent
events at Fukushima where currently 450 tons of contaminated water that contains
radioactive substances is being spilled into the ocean, brings up some concern
(Stamper). You may never come in contact with the ocean, but if you happen to eat fish
from the sea then you are exposing yourself to these harmful substances. The substances
you may be familiar with, they come from your local doctors office.
Political Discussion
There are two types of radiation the blast itself produces Gamma and X-ray
radiation which killed some [hundred and sixty-six thousand] Japanese(Roan). Then,
there is the second type of radiation which occurs after the blast Roan describes it as a
radioactive ash composed of cesium-137, iodine-131, radioactive strontium and a
host of other long-lived byproducts of the explosion -- known collectively as
fallout(Roan). This fallout emits radiation that leads to genetic mutations and even
death to those who are exposed. Radiation has long been a scary thought of nuclear war,
but radiation is not the main killer in a nuclear bomb. Going back to Japan some [over
two hundred thousand] people died in the initial blast. However, experts say that the

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dropping of the nuclear bomb was necessary in order to end WWII with Japan. While it is
established that the dropping of the nuclear bomb saved lives, that does not mean we
cannot learn from the past. For example, now that a lot of countries have nuclear bombs it
is not practical to ever use a weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in the present because
firing one nuke would set off a chain reaction of many other nukes, thus turning into
WWIII. Obviously, nobody wants another nuclear bomb dropped or another nuclear spill
(too late), so countries must come together diplomatically in order to disarm these
weapons.
Military factors
Proliferation means growth or multiplication. The proliferation of powerful
weapons around the world is a source of great concern to U.S. national security. These
weapons include conventional armaments such as military-type guns, bombs,
and missiles, and the more lethal weapons of mass destruction, which are based on
nuclear, chemical, and biological technologies. U.S. goals for nonproliferation (or
counter proliferation) include stopping the development of new weapons, reducing and
safeguarding the stockpiles of existing weapons, and preventing the spread of WMD
technology, particularly among enemies of the United States(Evans). The greatest threat
to national security is believed to be the acquisition and use of WMDs by terrorists and
rogue nations (North Korea or Iran)nations that ignore international restrictions on
weapons proliferation. "After North Korea withdrew from the nuclear non-proliferation
treaty in 2003, the six party talks started to happen"(Bush). The countries that participate
in these talks are Russia, China, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, and U.S. however;
North Korea has made major steps in nuclear proliferation by disabling their nuclear

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facilities and has released information regarding what they were doing. Even though they
have made a positive move towards proliferation, the U.S. will keep high sanctions
currently imposed upon them. Some might say that North Korea is using their right as a
country to protect and make a sense of advancement in their community. Lets tackle this
counterargument in three ways: First, an unorganized leader runs North Korea. Kim
Jong-Un made international news multiple times in 2013, including for the arrest and
execution of his uncle and for his country's detention of American tourist Merrill
Newman(Kim Jong-Un). A leader cannot provide protection for his own people when he
executes his own family for a supposed conspiracy. Secondly, North Korea is unable to
grow enough food for its own people(North Korea). With the inability to feed its own
people, they should not be spending the money on so called protection and instead buy
food for their people. Lastly, Historical events show that North Korea cannot be trusted;
North Korea test launched a nuclear missile in 2006.Kim Jong-un didnt suspend the tests
for long, however, and launched a rocket in December 2012. The country claimed it was
to put a weather satellite into orbit, but the United States saw the action as a nuclear
test(North Korea). The U.S. will not stand for dishonesty when dealing with a weapon
of such power. So why should North Korea be allowed to keep weapons for protection
when they cannot even tell the truth to their own people. The potential for an attack from
terrorists is at an all time high with the technology advancing, but what countries should
we truly be threatened by?
Outside Threats
According to an article by Debra Miller there are currently many modern day
threats from nuclear attack. For example, Syria, China, North Korea, Russia, and India

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are the nuclear powers that can intimidate the U.S with (WMDs) at any point in time
(Miller). When talking about China their "defense sector [which] received up to $90
billion in 2005, makes China the third largest defense spender in the world after the
United States and Russia, and the largest in Asia(Miller). North Korea has had
nuclear capabilities for many years and is currently working with a military heavy China.
This proves problematic because China, which owns the U.S. debt, works with a strong
enemy of The U.S. However, the question still remains should we act militarily towards
North Korea? There are an unlimited amount of answers, but there are two right ways of
handling this. First, if North Korea remains neutral towards South Korea, which it has
not, then there should be no action taken against North Korea. On the other hand, if North
Korea does take negative action towards South Korea then it is the duty of the U.S. to
intervene for their allies. A very good counterargument for going to war with South
Korea is that we should stick to isolationism which means that the U.S. must stay out of
international affairs. Through out history The U.S. has suspended this ideology for the
countries goals (i.e. Vietnam, Korean war, and Operation Desert Storm) so why not
suspend it now in order to help people fight for their lives. Being that North Korea is so
isolated. In order to attain information from within, The U.S. must use covert operations
to figure out what North Korea is planning.
Covert operations
The U.S. could really use a James Bond right now. According to an article by
Eric Heyl The U.S. main concern is that [North Korea] could sell their equipment; they
have in the past, and the most likely buyer is Iran(Heyl). But where did this information
come from, well according to Eric Heyl there may very well be a U.Ss very own James

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Bond. The way that the U.S. goes about acquiring this information is a covert operation
in itself. Going back to the quote regarding Iran and North Korea. When faced with the
thought of another 9/11, except on a much larger scale most Americans would demand
action. The U.S. currently uses high restrictions and tariffs on nations that are not so
friendly. For example, North Korea has been completely shut off from trade from The
United States, Japan, and South Korea. This is done in order to prevent North Korea from
erecting up an army. The informants get this information in two ways. First, they either
interrogating primary sources, for example key leaders, civilians, and political leaders.
However, the second way they get information is just going in and learning the
information for themselves. Retrieving information in this way makes it possible to
predict what countries such as Iran are planning. But what of nuclear proliferation is it a
good or a bad thing, well thats for you to decide.
As the learned before there are four ways, and a lot of potential outcomes for
nuclear proliferation. The health effects associated with nuclear warfare are
unimaginable. Generations of children will have birth defects with no explanation as to
where it came from. The political discussion associated with nuclear warfare is stagnant,
countries all agree that nuclear weapons should be disarmed however; no country can
disarm them because they do not trust one another. On the other hand, if military action
were to be used against those who are a threat to the U.S, in order to disarm countries,
then we must have good reason. And lastly if secret operations are taken in order to
further prevent a global-thermo nuclear war, then those should continue because it truly is
a scary thought. When looking at nuclear proliferation from an outside perspective, there

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are only four aspects to focus on: health concerns, political decisions, military
intervention, and covert operations. Who knows what the future might hold.