Carter Elliott, Staff Columnist~
Tensions are running high in the United States after North Korea tested what the U.S. called the most powerful nuclear bomb ever. This has driven both the U.S. and South Korea into a political tailspin.
South Korea has begun to complete emergency live-fire testing exercises to prepare its people for a possible nuclear strike from their northern counterpart. China has evenweighed in on the issue by stating that, in the event of an attack where North Korea attacks first, they will remain neutral; however, if the United States initiates the first attack, they will defend their communist counterpart.
The Unites States Secretary of Defense James Mattis stated, in the case of an attack from North Korea, they will be met with “a massive military response.” However, this raises the question as to whether or not the United States wants to be proactive or reactive in this situation with North Korea.
After several previous statements from President Donald Trump, one could infer that he would like to have a proactive response to the situation, while Mattis definitely prefers a more reactive one.
With two of our top officials disagreeing on what could be the biggest issue facing our country currently, one has to ask whether or not Trump will take the advice of his secretary of defense or will he, in an ill-tempered fit, act without regards to his statements.
