Why US Responds Differently and Use Different Instruments of Power to North Korea and Iran
Length: 750-850 words
QUESTION 2: North Korea and Iran have both been characterized as “rogue” nations for provocative actions in their respective regions and development of nuclear technology. Yet the US response to each of these nations has been very different over the last several decades. Using international relations theory and the US instruments of power it has at its disposal, compare the US response to each. Why do these responses differ, and which has been more successful to date
*Please see the course materials attached.
* Course Materials :
https://fairchild-mil(dot)libguides(dot)com/North_Korea_Nuclear_Issues
https://www(dot)cfr(dot)org/backgrounder/what-iran-nuclear-deal
*When you place your in-text citation within the essay, please input your page number where you found the information. Example: (Hodges 2003, 176)., Hodges (2003, 176) discussed..., In a 2003 article, Hodges (176) discussed.
*How to format the essay according to the Instructor:
--Five paragraph essays win every time. Intro, three main points,
conclusion.
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STATE-BASED SECURITY ISSUES
Student’s Name
Course
Date
State-Based Security Issues
Introduction
North Korea and Iran are two nations labeled as ‘rogue’ due to their provocative actions and developments in nuclear technologies. North Korea is known to have made significant progress, as illustrated by several successful nuclear tests. This is coupled with the country’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) capable of hitting the mainland USA. Iran has not recorded similar success, but this could be attributed to the efforts of various world powers to curtail the country’s progress. The United States has responded differently to the two nations and used different instruments of power. The focus of this paper is to establish why this has been the case and where more success has been recorded in the responses.
Comparing Responses
The question of why the responses toward the two nations differ can be addressed by considering the level of threat each of them poses to the United States. It can be argued that North Korea poses a bigger threat; hence more stringent measures would be needed. Nuclear developments in Iran are not entirely meant for developing nuclear weapons. Additionally, it can be observed that Iran is still in the early stages of development, which indicates a lesser threat. The US has to deal with a country planning to develop nuclear weapons (Katzman, Kerr, Nikitin, & Garcia, 2015, p. 2). North Korea is far ahead of Iran in that the country has successfully tested nuclear weapons and has fully developed ICBM capabilities (Sankaran and Fetter 2020, 48). Rather than negotiating with such a country, it can be argued that the best response would be to develop defense capabilities.
Various international theories can be used to explain the responses that the US has made toward the two rogue nations. Realism is a theory that posits that the international system is defined by anarchy and that relations are by either coercion or consent. Additionally, realism explains the use of various instruments of power, including economic, diplomacy, and military (Slaughter 2011, 1). Considering the nature of the threats posed by each country, the US has used military power. In Iran, covert operations have been conducted to neutralize the country's nuclear threat (Troxell 2006, 225). However, the most visible military approach has been to build capabilities beyond all the countries regarded as rogue nations. Against North Korea, the US has built the GMD as the primary homeland defense against the North Korean ICBMs (Sankaran and Fetter 2020, 49). Therefore, the US has used military power in both countries. However, Iran has not forced the US to build defenses since the threat level is lower.
Economic power is a critical tool the United States uses to respond to Iran and North Korea. According to Ross (2016,...