TOW #14 – “Cold War relic, present day threat”

Charles Krauthammer, a writer for the Washington Post and winner of the National Magazine Award for Essays and Criticism in 1984, wrote Cold War relic, present day threat to comment on practical solutions to the large threat North Korea poses to the United States of America. Krauthammer produces an effective argument through his rhetoric, including elements of listing and hyperbole to emphasize his argument. While Krauthammer recognizes that the United States’ “options are stark,” (Krauthammer) he continues to suggest multiple plans of action, including “preemptive attack,” (Krauthammer) shooting the test ICBM, and leveraging China. While he only provides a minimal addition to expand upon each of these possible plans, listing alternative routes shows how United States intervention in North Korea could be effective in deterring the threat they pose. Additionally, Krauthammer employs hyperbole to exaggerate to Americans the need for intervention in the first place. He claims that “[supporting Japan in acquiring nuclear weapons] is a radical step that goes against our general policy of nonproliferation. But the point is to halt proliferation to the infinitely more dangerous regime in North Korea” (Krauthammer). While North Korea poses a very large threat to the United States, Krauthammer employs hyperbole in his rhetoric via phrases like “infinitely more dangerous” to stress the enormous threat that North Korea poses with nuclear weaponry. Furthermore, he discusses the possibility of the United States violating this policy of nonproliferation as a “radical step” (Krauthammer) that can be taken if other plans were proven ineffective. Krauthammer’s editorial takes a very serious tone as it suggests nuclear armaments to counteract North Korea, but his employment of listing and hyperbole contributes to his purpose of describing the importance of United States action in North Korea. While military action is a very complicated and difficult process, Krauthammer proves a convincing argument to all Americans that governmental action can—and should—take place.

Works Cited

Krauthammer, Charles. “Cold War Relic, Present-Day Threat.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 5 Jan. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/cold-war-relic-present-day-threat/2017/01/05/623c720e-d384-11e6-9cb0-54ab630851e8_story.html?utm_term=.a660d3b6baad.