US-N/Korea Standoff: It could all be mass deaths at dawn as N/Korea nuke terrorism hangs over world

The hermit kingdom of North Korea has embarked on dangerously provocative actions lately capable of sparking off a huge conflagration that will annihilate mankind by going ahead with a sixth nuclear bomb and multiple missile tests.

More dangerous and provocative is its avowed intention to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile with nuclear warheads capable of hitting targets in US mainland.

North Korea also reportedly vowed to detonate the Hydrogen bomb. It is on record that the H-bomb could cause radioactive fallout or put differently emit nuclear radiation capable of sniffing life forms out of humans and animals alike around the globe.

The call for denuclearization has often been rebuffed not only by the rogue regime of North Korea but also by world powers which poses a grave danger to civilization. The US as the lone superpower has tons of nukes in its arsenal. Other nuclear powers like Russia, China, Britain also has stockpiles of nukes in their arsenals which hang over our heads like the ancient sword of Damocles.

Official records available show that no fewer than nine countries on earth possess a sum total of 14, 900 nuclear weapons with Russia and the United States accounting for over ninety-three percent. In all, nine countries in the world possess a total of 14,900 nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia account for 93 percent of them. While the call for denuclearization continues with countries giving up nuclear weapons and prgrammes thereby shrinking global arsenals by over two-thirds, the rogue regimes of North Korea and recently the Islamic Republic of Iran vigorously are galloping ahead in the race to acquire more nuclear weapons in spite resolutions to the contrary by supra-national authorities. This, I dare say again, poses a grave danger to mankind.

There is no denying the fact that the world’s combined stockpiles of nuclear weapons remain at unacceptably high levels with the above-named nine countries rebuff the repeated calls to denuclearize thereby putting civilization in sheer jeopardy.

As it is today, it needs no gainsaying that we are all caught in an agonizing web of nuclear terrorism as threats and rhetoric emanating from Washington and Pyongyang hang over our heads like the ancient sword of Damocles. China is not helping matters either as the Chinese government yesterday caution the United States that there could be no winner if it goes ahead for an armed invasion of North Korea after it reportedly held military drills with Russia last week probably sending warning signals to Washington.

Be that as it may, we must not lose sight of the fact that nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands has greatly increased since September 11 attacks on the United States. With the current threat emanating from North Korea and US avowed threat to respond with 'fire and fury', there is no denying the fact that the apocalypse has set sail as stockpiles of nuclear materials are often loosely guarded because the writer has it on good authority that over the last two decades numerous attempts at nuclear theft have been recorded thereby increasingly bringing nuclear terrorism closer to our doorsteps by the day.

Into what dangers would this unfolding scenario lead the world, if one may ask? All this writer has ever craved is a world devoid weapons and violence. We could all recall that sometimes in 1995, a situation dangerously close to a huge global conflagration was narrowly averted as when Russia almost launched missiles at the United States when it thought it was under attack. Had that attack occurred the US would have in all honesty not folded its hand as a retaliation would trigger off a catastrophe of unimaginable magnitude well beyond historical experience.

This is why one quakes with fear under the existing circumstances that is probably where one is headed for in the ongoing US-North Korea standoff as the two nuclear powers defiantly lock horns.

China, another world military power has repeatedly given subtle warnings that it will not accept or tolerate war anywhere near its territory as tension remains high in the Korea peninsula and has failed to rein in on its strong ally North Korea to halt nuclear tests. Russia's treachery in the ongoing dangerous scenario also calls for concern as it reportedly conducted military drills with China last week.

From the foregoing America could be fighting more than three nuclear powers should it decide to go ahead and cast the first stone and violent retaliation from the above-named could spell out mass deaths at dawn!

*Iyoha John Darlington, a columnist, writer, public affairs analyst and commentator on national and global issues wrote from Turin, Italy.