North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran, oh my!

The death of the illustrious leader, or whatever title he was going by, highlights the uncertainty and fragility of North Korea, creating a potentially turbulent political situation in a rogue country that has spent years developing crude nuclear weapons at the expense of food for the population.

North Korea is one of three (semi) nuclear countries in which the political situation is fragile and the potential for nuclear proliferation is rife, the others being Pakistan and (almost) Iran.  Of there three countries, one is nominally our ally, and the other two we (rightfully) shun diplomatically. Though Pakistan doesn't really deserve much of the aid we give them, the country is - and I can't believe I'm quoting Michelle Bachmann (perhaps the only smart things she's ever said) - too nuclear to fail.

Nuclear weapons are a reality of the world we live in; they aren't going away.  During the Cold War the idea of mutually assured destruction ensured that no one was going to push the button and end life on the planet.  Nuclear war is not something that I fear no matter how many test missiles North Korea launches as a perverse 21-gun salute to Kim Jong-il.

What I do fear and what is much more likely is that someway, somehow, some terrorist organization gets their hands on a nuclear device whether from North Korea, Iran, or Pakistan, none of which are stable or trustworthy.  Though there are still traditional security concerns that still require traditional military measures and planning (Iran being one of them), America's approach to security must be centered around the threat posed to American cities by rogue groups with access to nuclear material.  Obviously this isn't news to anyone, but I fear a rogue group or a rogue nation (I'm looking at your Iran) with nukes way more than I fear a traditional war with whomever.

Nuclear weapons aren't going anywhere, which makes it especially important that our leaders are attuned to this threat that unsecured nuclear material poses.  Unfortunately, unsecured nuclear material is often out of our grasp and sometimes - in the case of North Korea's program - even out of our vision.  I hope that our leaders are making the appropriate plans for dealing with the threat of nuclear proliferation because recent turmoil in Pakistan, Iran, and most recently North Korea make it rogue nukes more of a concern than ever.