The New Cold War Arm Race

“Here we go again. Talk of another meeting between President Trump and Chairman Kim to avert a nuclear Armageddon. Then a Putin’s proposal for a renewed 6-nation conference. We find ourselves swinging between a skeptical reaction and a hope for a sensible resolution. “Peace envoys” came and went, leaders shook hands for photo-ops then walked away, and the arms race and saber rattling continue.

We are the children and grandchildren of the Cold War. Our two countries, Vietnam and Korea, have experienced the most costly wars of the second half of the 20^thcentury. Generations in our families have died from bullets and bombs, and we survive to hear that it was all for the sake of freedom and democracy, while so many tragic stories remain untold. We have lived where DMZ means demilitarized zones, ironically bordered by barbed wires and dotted with mines, and have been raised to live in fear and distrust of our own people on the other side.  Parts of our countries are still unsafe from unexploded bombs and mines from past wars. And now, we are paying more taxes to build more bombs and missiles. 

We are constantly bombarded by the media and governmental agencies telling us who the good and bad guys are. We have studied the analyses of think-tanks, historians and policy makers; learned, from one side, what the “domino theory” and the strategy of containment was all about; and from another side, that a strong military is needed to combat neo-colonialism and imperialism. But we have also seen our human capital and resources wasted in military hardware when food and schools and better healthcare are sorely needed. 

We believe that the tension in the Korean peninsula can be reduced only if both sides reduce their military arsenals, and that economic competition and prosperity do not have to be linked to military deterrence. We also remember what President Eisenhower said in 1953: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger but are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. This world in arms is not just spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its science, the hopes of its children.”

Our small countries will always be seen as parts of a strategic area where China, Russia, and America contest for regional or global supremacy. Communism was the issue then; geopolitical and economic dominance, backed by uncontestable military power is the new world order, but the danger is still the same. Our self-determination and human rights mean very little in this dangerous chess game. For now, neither Vietnam nor any other country can stop China from militarizing the South China Sea. China fears a unified Korea will present a great challenge to its power, as Japan already does. Chairman Kim will continue to keep his nuclear and ballistic arsenal as long as he sees threats coming from the US and its allies.

We’ve heard too often that those who do not learn history are bound to repeat it. We have learned our history too well, but only to feel more frustrated. For as long as there is bad faith and hypocrisy in the hearts of men, and as long as the greed of the military-industrial complex commands the hands of our leaders, we and our children, and your children will continue to bear the effects of the Cold War. Yet, Eisenhower’s words resonate in our minds. So we demand that our world leaders take the first responsible step: stop a new arms race. Now.”

YeonShik Kim and Chinh Le

Submitted May 6, 2019; published in the Gazette Times, May 31, 2019

YoenShik Kim is an OSU Visiting Professor from Kyungpook National University College of Social Sciences, South Korea.