Rising tensions over nuclear threats in Ukraine may be ignoring the real Rogue Nation

(Originally published Oct. 26 in “What in the World“) Help is on the way for Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russia’s continuing barrage of missiles and drones against civilian infrastructure. The U.S. government has taken delivery of two more National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (Nasams) and is shipping them to Ukraine, according to their manufacturer, Raytheon Technologies.

The surface-to-air missiles the Nasams fire might not be much help, however, against a dirty bomb that the Russians accuse Ukrainian forces of preparing at two facilities. Moscow on Tuesday went so far as to send a letter outlining its accusations to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, along with a 310-page report alleging that Ukraine and its western allies were developing biological weapons.

Ukraine denies making biological weapons or a dirty bomb and accuses Russia of preparing one to detonate and blame on Ukraine to justify escalating the war. It says Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are conducting clandestine work in an area where spent nuclear fuel is stored. Dirty bombs are conventional explosives that, while not using nuclear blasts, use radioactive material in their construction so that they spread radiation upon detonation.

The continued accusations prompted U.S. President Joe Biden to reiterate his warning to Moscow against deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying it would be an “incredibly serious mistake,” and the U.S. Defense Dept. warning that it would have “consequences.”

One consequence of the drama in Ukraine is that the U.S. is largely ignoring a growing nuclear threat from North Korea, former CIA analyst and National Security Council member Sue Mi Terry warns in a new essay in Foreign Affairs. While the war in Ukraine has raged, she says:

Kim Jong Un, has tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, a train-mounted ballistic missile, a new surface-to-air defense missile system, a long-range strategic cruise missile, and multiple hypersonic missiles.

And with North Korea poised to conduct a seventh test of a nuclear weapon, Terry says support is growing in South Korea to develop its own nuclear deterrent, a move that could accelerate a regional arms race.