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Analysis Of The Article ' With North Korea '

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The article, “With North Korea, we do have cards to play,” was featured in The Washington Post, a center-left publication, on 4/20/2017. The author of the article is Charles Krauthammer. Krauthammer is a weekly writer for The Washington Post, a Fox News commentator, and a Pulitzer Prize recipient (Charles Krauthammer). This piece argues for a diplomatic solution to the North Korean crisis in which China places strong pressure on the North Korean government in order for them to give up their nuclear program.
The five elements of the critical eye are accuracy, objectivity, completeness, possible options or solutions, and a realistic discussion. The vast majority of the article features accurate information. However, there are a few …show more content…

Even North Korea did have the capability to miniaturize a nuclear bomb, their ballistic missiles do not have the capability to reach mainland United States. Nonetheless, North Korea does have additional missiles in development (North Korean Ballistic Missile Models, 2016). The following paragraph states that the North Koreans have “made significant progress with solid-fuel rockets” (Krauthammer, 2017). According to a report in The Telegraph, North Korea has made progress with solid-fueled rockets. Nevertheless, it is not clear if the North Koreans have the ability to store the solid-fuel long term. This paragraph also states that solid-fueled rockets are harder to shoot down. While this is true, in most cases the rocket have reduced launch times and countermeasures. Paragraph four is where the author misleads the audience. He states that North Korea “has an estimated 10 to 16 [nuclear weapons]. By 2020, it could very well have a hundred” (Krauthammer, 2017). This estimate was taken out of the incorrect context. This information is based on a quotation from the top North Korean analyst at Johns Hopkins University. The 100 nuclear weapons were the least likely scenario. When discussing this issue, the top analyst stated that “a ‘worst-case scenario’, in which North Korea makes dramatic technological advances in both its nuclear programme and delivery systems, would permit Pyongyang to

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