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This post could have NUCLEAR consequences for committee!!

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As historical background, DPRK unilaterally pulled out of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 2003, and since then has been working on its nuclear program. Sophisticated tests are known to have happened since 2006 as well. As recently as 2017, DPRK has been testing intercontinental ballistic missiles. While they have had nuclear technology for a while, this advancement means they are able to send their nuclear capabilities as far as Hawaii and Western China in theory. There have been pivots in recent history, however. In 2018, after talks with S. Korea and the USA, DPRK has said that they are committed to no longer conducting nuclear testing and want to push for complete denuclearization. Despite this, there are still members of the Trump administration who are wary about how serious N. Korea is about denuclearizing. One popular theory being reported by political scholars is that N. Korea not wanting to denuclearize for the sake of big stick diplomacy. Essentially, if N. Korea
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North Korea 2019: The world’s biggest cyber threat?

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Photograph: YONHAP/AFP/Getty Images The biggest cyber threats to the United States and Western nations are Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. What’s special about North Korea, however, is that their hacking is entirely government sponsored. North Koreans do not have internet access, save for elites, so ordinary citizens can’t become hackers like in other countries. Instead, North Korean hackers are hand-picked from state universities and are trained through real-world trials (not just practice problems and simulations), allowing them to quickly become world-class hackers. These hackers form specialized units such as Bureau 121 or the Lazarus Group. For North Korea, cyber warfare has become an incredibly effective way to inflict pain on Western nations. Perhaps you might remember the infamous Sony Pictures hack that led to the cancellation of the theatrical release of The Interview. Or the WannaCry ransomware attacks that disabled computers, and caused the NHS to turn away
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NK Sliding Into China's BRI

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(Yalu River, a river on the border between China and North Korea, is a tourist attraction) Due to geopolitical relations and unique diplomatic ties, China has been the economic and humanitarian backbone of North Korea ever since the Korean War, providing the regime with trade, food, and energy. However, as Kim Jong Un consolidated his power and began his expansionist program, China's mantra of "不战不乱无核"(meaning no war, no instability, no nukes) is subsequently jeopardized. Thus, a new approach must be taken to incentivize peace in the region. With promises of denuclearization, North Korea shifts its focus from militaristic development to economic development. According to sources, North Korea is trying to participate in China's Belt Road Initiative (BRI), an international and intercontinental infrastructure project launched in 2013, integrating member states such as South Korea and 64 others. This ambitious project would enhance Chinese influence and specifical
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"We are not going to invade North Korea"

A top US envoy to North Korea recently spoke at Stanford University, explaining the Trump administration's position on the rocky relationship between the two nations. "President Trump is ready to end this war," Steve Biegun said at Stanford. "It is over, it is done. We are not going to invade North Korea. We are not seeking to topple the North Korean regime." Though the United States and North Korea have not seen eye-to-eye since their first publicized (and failed) missile test in 2006. Though foreign policy on the US end has ranged from the possibilities of talks all the way to stringent embargos, it seems as if Donald Trump has started to push for communication. Biegun also stated that there were no signs of tradeoffs - denuclearization is the expectation definitively. 
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So Trump tweeted something curious about North Korea

Here's a weird Trump tweet:  https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1094035813820784640 Here's the text: "North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, will become a great Economic Powerhouse. He may surprise some but he won’t surprise me, because I have gotten to know him & fully understand how capable he is. North Korea will become a different kind of Rocket - an Economic one!" So he's praising a socialist regime for being an economic powerhouse. There's no real reason to believe that North Korea is going to suddenly turn this around, at least outside of committee. So the question becomes why is he praising Un now. The answer can provide an insight into Trump's foreign policy. This tweet comes right after Trump announced a new summit with North Korea in Hanoi in late February. Since Un is playing nice with Trump, Trump is playing nice with Un. Trump warned against socialism in his State of the Union address so he clearly
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Questions to Consider

Hey delegates we had a pretty huge oversight and forgot to put the questions to consider in the topic synopsis. Many of you have been emailing me and I have been sending you the questions to consider manually. If you already turned in your position paper without the questions to consider, don't worry about it. Here they are: Is reunification possible? What would the government structure of the unified Korea look like, if unification is possible? What role does nuclear disarmament play in reunification? What does the other side need to concede for reunification to happen? How do Russia, China, and the U.S. factor into reunification?
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Trump's State of the Union on North Korea

Check out this article from the BBC on Trump's State of the Union address and his new plan to address North Korea: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47139969 From the article you can see that Trump is continuing to use diplomacy to deal with North Korea. He continues to talk about how good his relationship with Kim Jong Un, which suggests that is important for the optics of his dealing with the rogue state. Most importantly he announced another summit. When this will happen and what will come of it is still yet to be seen, but this will definitely factor into committee, so do your best to read up on what political scientists are saying about it.
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