Paul Carroll interviewed on North Korea nuclear test

In several radio interviews, Ploughshares Fund Program Director Paul Carroll discussed the implications of North Korea’s recent nuclear test. Asked by KPCC radio host Patt Morrison about the possible motivations behind the test, Carroll replied, “I think it’s fair to say that it could be seen as more about internal dynamics and perhaps regional dynamics than getting the attention of the United States or sending a signal to Washington.  I think that may be, from Kim Jong Il’s perspective, icing on the cake or an added benefit.”

The North Korea explosion does, however, “presents a very challenging test” to the goal of a nuclear-free world as articulated by President Obama in his April 5 Prague speech.  Carroll told host Bob Salter of WXRK in New York, “The idea of getting rid of [nuclear weapons] has become much more than just an idealistic, pie-eyed view; it’s what real politick statesmen have said is the goal of the United States and the world.”

Carroll articulated the need for international cooperation on North Korea, through the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which President Obama will put before Congress for ratification.  Regarding North Korea, though, Carroll told KCBS radio in San Francisco, “The first priority [of the Obama administration] is going to be getting Beijing and Washington and Seoul and Tokyo as close together as the can on how firm to be in any sanctions and messages.”

Listen to the KPCC interview, the WXRK interview and the KCBS interview.