Duck and cover
In Washington, a pre-emptive strike on nuclear-armed North Korea is getting serious consideration
This is the editor’s letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
The timing is probably just coincidental, but next week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hold a public forum to educate us about how to respond to "a nuclear detonation." Experts in "radiation studies" will provide helpful tips, such as "shelter in place" for at least 24 hours. It might be advisable to pay attention. As Kim Jong Un continues to pursue his development of nuclear missiles that can strike the U.S., Gerald Seib reports in The Wall Street Journal this week, there is a lively debate within the Trump administration about a pre-emptive strike. If Kim tests another ICBM or hydrogen bomb, national security adviser H.R. McMaster is arguing, the U.S. should give him "a bloody nose," with a limited airstrike on his nuclear facilities — and gamble that he doesn't respond.
That's a high-stakes wager. If he so chooses, Kim could quickly unleash his massive artillery and rocket batteries on the 20 million people in and around Seoul. He could even try to prove that his "nuclear button" works and launch an ICBM. Despite his recent talks with the South, Kim will never surrender his nukes; that realization has led some in Washington to say a U.S. pre-emptive attack merits serious consideration. Based on his chats with the president, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says there's a 70 percent chance of a U.S. attack if Kim tests another missile. In a new Foreign Policy piece headlined "It's time to bomb North Korea," military strategist Edward Luttwak calls for an all-out air attack on Kim's regime, and argues that South Korea's "self-inflicted" vulnerability "cannot be allowed to paralyze the U.S." The South, Luttwak says, should have built more air-raid shelters, installed more anti-missile batteries, and moved those 20 million people farther away from the North, so it's their own fault if tens of thousands of people die. In Seoul, it might be time to practice sheltering in place. Maybe in your hometown, too.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
William Falk is editor-in-chief of The Week, and has held that role since the magazine's first issue in 2001. He has previously been a reporter, columnist, and editor at the Gannett Westchester Newspapers and at Newsday, where he was part of two reporting teams that won Pulitzer Prizes.
-
Why the Earth's water cycle is under threat
Under The Radar Disturbances in the system that moves water around the world place more than half of global food production at risk
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - October 20, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Secret Service flaws, weather control, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 cartoon critiques of the Kamala Harris media blitz
Cartoons Artists take on 60 surrealist minutes, word salad, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published