North Korea Seeks Political Gain from Rocket Launch

The North Korean rocket launch has been determined to be a failure since it was not able to enter into orbit. The launch, however, is still disturbing; North Korea now has the ability to launch a rocket 2,000 miles, which doubles its previous capacity. President Obama urged the UN Securtiy Council on Sunday to impose sanctions and to consider the launch provocative. The Security Council, however, wavered in their resolution to punish North Korea.

The launch of a North Korean rocket is both reassuring and disturbing. While it is clear that North Korea is nowhere near being able to launch an inter-continental missile, it is also clear that they are getting closer to having that capability. The UN needs to use this opportunity to demonstrate to North Korea that it cannot get away with violating the UN resolutions. If no action is taken, North Korea will continue down its destructive path, making the world less safe with each new rocket.