South Korea Attacked

The bombing of South Korea by North Korea shook the stability international community this Tuesday morning. An attack on the South's Yeongyeong island was the fiercest attack by the North since the days of the Korean War. Since that conflict was never truly settled with a peace treaty, the two neighbors have continued battling on a smaller scale. However, with North Korea bombing South Korea on a disputed island territory, the two nations are feared to be closer to a new war.

The attack of South Korea is disconcerting because it shows an example of a realist mentality of dominance and struggle for power. A realist worldview would conclude that no other actor stands between the state and its ability to control its capability to govern the global system. While the ruling power in North Korea demonstrates only a minor portion of a realist state mentality, this ruling power emphasizes the concerns that many critics of realism have, namely that realists tend to disregard the ethical principles and social costs that these policies could impose. The most popular explanation for North Korea's bombing is the country's next leader- Kim Jong II has already determined that his son, Kim Jong-un, will take over the nation when he dies. Therefore, the "Young General" is said to be making a name for himself.

The country already made headlines last weekend when they revealed a brand-new nuclear facility that can enrich uranium. Clearly the North is concerned with showing the world that they are stronger than ever, and that it will stay strong when Kim Jong II passes on.

In reaction to the attack, President Obama declared that the world needs to come together to form an international community to pressure North Korea to prevent future attacks. The agreement with countries to protect and defend South Korea shows the strength countries have to protect each other if they form a community of support against an outside force. However, as shown with the relationship between North and South Korea, the absence of war does not mean peace, as is shown by the decades-long hostilities between the two countries. Only a “strong hand from someplace,” as General Douglass MacArthur will be able to settle the grievances—perceived and imagined—of the peoples of these two nations.