Letter: Reasoned response needed for Iraq, N. Korea

In view of the panic around the development of nuclear missiles by North Korea, I am amazed by our current administration’s knee-jerk condemnation of the nuclear agreement with Iran. Whether the Iran deal is bad or good, it seems to be better than nothing. The current GOP position seems to rest on the fact that the agreement was completed during the Obama administration, and everything from that administration needs to be erased or replaced (DACA; ACA; Trans-Pacific partnership; Paris accords; immigration quotas; etc.).

Iran will prove unwilling to modify the 2014 agreement to more favor U.S. interests. If the agreement is rescinded by the U.S., Iran has free reign to follow the path that North Korea has taken. How can that be in our or the world’s interests?

The North Korean threat has garnered a predictable response from the U.S. to increase our anti-ballistic missile capabilities, increase hardware, and deploy more troops. Our response to 9/11 led to long and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. North Korea threatens us and again our response will be very costly at a time when the money for weapons could be better spent elsewhere. Will we ever learn?

This story was originally published September 28, 2017 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Letter: Reasoned response needed for Iraq, N. Korea."