ETSU faculty and students had quite a bit to say about North Korea. The missile tests, the nuclear test and the U.N. sanctions are all situations that stir up a flurry of opinions worldwide and campuswide.
Though there are still doubts as to whether or not North Korea actually detonated a nuclear device, the country is already threatening to conduct a second test.
If they’re bluffing, it’s quite a big bluff.
“From [North Korea’s] perspective they made a point and they were successful,” said Dr. Weixing Chen, a professor of international relations at ETSU.
“North Korea wants two things from the United States. One is a promise by the United States not to invade North Korea and number two is economic aid,” Chen said. “We don’t have anything to lose if we engage in direct dialogue on a bilateral basis with North Korea. If we had done that I don’t think this would have happened.”
“I approve of bilateral talks. The assurance is that the things that they need, they need from us. They don’t need it from six different parties,” said student Thad Jablonski.
Dr. Kenneth Mijeski, chair of the political science department, said that one of the biggest implications would be nuclear proliferation and another nuclear arms race.
“The issue is the kinds of fissile materials used and the ability of North Korea, once pulled out [of the Non-Proliferation Treaty], to sell or to proliferate nuclear materials to other countries,” Mijeski said.
“The second issue is one that involves the possibility of other countries in that region beginning to feel that they have to produce more nuclear weapons themselves. Obviously there’s that concern of what another regional nuclear arms race would mean,” he said.
Some ETSU students inter-viewed did not desire military action, and stressed the importance of diplomacy to solve the problem.
Ethan Oakes, a junior studying respiratory therapy, was stationed with the U.S. Army in South Korea when North Korea threatened to invade and amass troops on the border from winter 2002-2003.
“The North Korean military is nothing to be messed with,” Oakes said. “The [U.S.] troops over there are really just what’s labeled a ‘political speed-bump.'”
“I think the best thing that the Bush administration could do would be to have direct talks with the North Korean government because our relations with the North Koreans are at the worst they’ve ever been.”
“A war with North Korea would mean that at least 50,000 American troops would die,” Oakes said. “People like me who have served in Area 51 like me would be called back.
“It would not be a good situation by any means necessary.”
There are also the implications of how Iran, the other remaining ‘axis of evil,’ will react.
“Many think that Iran will watch what the world’s reaction is,” Mijeski said. “Some think that if there is a very harsh military blockade some will argue that Iran will get the message ‘You better not do that or we’ll do this to you.’ The critics of that would say, ‘Well, it’ll Iran that people out there have a big stick. What you have to do is get some kind of stick if you want to have any kind of sovereignty.’ This would increase proliferation.”
“What the answer is, I don’t think anybody knows at this point,” he said.

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