The Nuclear Threat in N. Korea and Elsewhere

Re “North Korea Escalates Its Nuclear Threat,” Feb. 11: As reprehensible as it is, it shouldn’t be hard to understand the North Korean drive to obtain nuclear weapons. The U.S. isn’t about to reduce the numbers of nuclear weapons in its arsenal, or even consider a nuclear-free world. Instead, the administration labels North Korea as part of an “axis of evil” and then has the audacity to talk of building nuclear theater weapons, such as the nuclear “bunker buster.”

As long as the U.S. is committed to preemptive strikes, the North Koreans are going to pursue nuclear weapons as defensive weapons. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the other day that “Bush never takes his options off the table.” We pay the price for our saber rattling by enduring the possibility that these weapons can fall into the hands of terrorists. However, Pakistan and India acquired nuclear weapons, creating a pathological peace, but a peace nonetheless. It’s easy to label Kim Jong Il crazy and then attribute all kinds of things to him. This crisis is a result of our arrogance and self-righteousness.

Ralph Mitchell

Monterey Park

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The Bush administration’s downplaying of North Korea’s admission that it possesses atomic weapons makes it difficult to escape the conclusion that, despite rhetoric to the contrary, the initial concept behind the Iraq war was nothing more daunting than our insatiable appetite for Middle Eastern oil.

Joan Evans

Altadena

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It seems obvious to me that within a few short years almost every country in the world will have developed atomic arsenals and other types of weapons of mass destruction. Perhaps only then will we be able to live in a world in which large, ruthless nations cannot invade and destroy the small ones without serious consequences.

Robert Sorteberg

West Covina