North Korea: Arrival of US Aircraft Carrier a Reckless Provocation

Tensions Worsen Again After Relative Calm

Weeks of threat and counter-threat between the US and North Korea came to an end in mid-April, but the arrival of the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier, looks to re-inflame tensions in the area.

North Korean officials condemned the arrival of the Nimitz as a “extremely reckless provocation” and warned it once again raised the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula.

The Nimitz is supposed to participate in two days of military drills with South Korea. US Navy officials insisted its deployment was “in accordance with international law” and that it also somehow “contributes to economic development.”

The April tensions were similarly the result of an annual US military exercise, though this week’s drill is much smaller and not nearly as long, limiting the amount of time that it will serve to exacerbate tensions on the divided peninsula.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.