Liberians have become tired from fourteen years of civil war. Many civilians do not think that peace is possible until U.S. troops land in the country (Zavis 3). Unfortunately, President Bush has placed the United States in an uncomfortable situation. Warlord-turned-president Taylor has pledged to resign his post, but he will not resign until troops arrive to ensure an orderly transition (Zavis 2). But, the mounting death toll in Monrovia has cast doubt on Taylor's pledge (Tosteven 1). President Bush has offered to send troops into Liberia to support west African peacekeepers, but only after President Taylor has stepped down and left the country (Tosteven 1). It is my view that the U.S. should send troops over now to end the bloodshed of the Liberian civilians. Then, if President Taylor does not leave the country, American troops can make him leave by use of force. I feel that it is the duty of every strong, upright country to take care of innocent people, no matter what country they are from. "Good" should always make an attempt to triumph over "Evil". .
Unfortunately, the situation in North Korea is more dangerous. North Korean officials have told the Bush administration that they have finished reprocessing nuclear .
fuel rods. If this claim is true, North Korea is a step closer to being able to create nuclear .
weapons (North Korean Report of Fuel Rod Reprocessing Concerns White House 1). Their recent actions are clearly in violation of an agreement signed in 1994 that bans North Korea from continuing its nuclear program (Carpenter). But, three points need to be kept in mind when considering North Korea's nuclear program. First, North Korea's nuclear program and missile technology is extremely dated. North Korea's reactors are 1950's technology, and if they do have fissile material it is a small amount- enough to make just two or three nuclear weapons. Their missile technology is thirty years old, and the reliability of their technology is not good, since around half of the missile tests failed.
