Although North Korea and Iran are stunningly similar nations, strong sponsorship of Middle Eastern insurgencies by Iran

and its probability to act irrationally while armed with nuclear weapons make Iran a far graver national security threat than North Korea. It is because of this that my partner and I negate the resolution Resolved: North Korea poses a more serious threat to United States national security than Iran. Contention 1. Iran supports terrorism. The most crucial threats to United States national security today are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Council on Foreign Relations reports, And according to declassified intelligence reports released by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point in October 2008, Iranian support to militants in Iraq has included paramilitary training, weapons, and equipment. Similar meddling is believed to be ongoing in Afghanistan. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, speaking with journalists in March 2010 in Kabul, said Iran was supplying weapons to fighters in southern Afghanistan. (Full citation: State Sponsors: Iran, Greg Bruno, Council on Foreign Relations, 10/07/10). Iran is purposely undermining United States military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is the single most important area the U.S. currently has military operations underway. Iranian weapons and training helping the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan put a heightened threat on the lives of American military, as well as foreign militaries in the area. As Iran is currently negatively impacting United States national security in the U.S. most sensitive military zones, it must be considered a more serious threat than North Korea. Contention 2. Irans nuclear threat is compounded by its irrationality. According to The Heritage Foundation Iran Working Group, In addition, there are legitimate questions about whether Ahmadinejad, who reportedly harbors apocalyptic religious beliefs regarding the return of the Mahdi, or others in the Iranian regime like him would have the same cost-benefit calculus about a nuclear war that other leaders would have. Moreover, Tehran could pass nuclear weapons on to terrorist surrogates in hopes of escaping retaliation for a nuclear surprise attack launched by an unknown attacker. (Full citation: Irans Nuclear Threat: The Day After, The Heritage Foundation Iran Working Group, 06/04/09). Ahmadinejad has notoriously stated his desire to wipe Israel off the map in the past, and full-scale nuclear capabilities in Iran could promise such a scenario. An unstable world leader with nuclear capabilities is to be taken seriously, especially as Ahmadinejad has resisted diplomatic efforts to reign in Irans nuclear program and harbors enough animosity toward both the United States and Israel that the nation poses a very serious national security threat. As mentioned earlier, Iran has no qualms with aiding terrorists, and a terrorist organization with nuclear weapons is not a threat the United States ever wants to deal with. This is a very real scenario that a fully nuclear Iran could cause, which makes it a much more serious national security threat than North Korea, despite North Koreas own purported nuclear capabilities. Contention 3. North Korea is not capable of posing a serious threat to the United States. North Korea, while aggressive, does not possess the means to threaten the United States in any sort of meaningful way. According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, North Korea lacks the industrial capacity to build large numbers of long-ranged missiles. They will not be able to build so many weapons as to become a strategic factor in the region. (Full citation: North Korea Poses No Real Threat to the World, Douglas H. Paal, The Carnegie Endowment for

International Peace, 05/25/09). Long-range missiles are an extremely important factor in determining a potential national security threat. North Korea does not have the capacity to build enough of them to become a strategic threat, which renders Iran far more dangerous. North Korea can be deterred far more easily. According to the Cato Institute, Granted, no sensible person wants the weird hermit kingdom to have nuclear weapons or missile systems. But the United States has thousands of nuclear warheads and the means to deliver them with pinpoint accuracy. We have deterred other strange and ruthless regimes in the past, most notably the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin and China under Mao Tse-tung. Both countries had far more nuclear weapons and missiles than North Korea ever can hope to build. (Full citation: A Nuisance, Not a Threat, Ted Galen Carpenter, The Cato Institute, 07/10/06). The United States has deterred far more dangerous nations than North Korea, which lacks the resources to seriously threaten United States national security. We urge a con ballot for the following three reasons: 1. Iran supports terrorism, 2. Irans nuclear threat is compounded by its irrationality, and 3. North Korea is not capable of posing a serious threat to the United States. An armed North Korea may be scary, but an armed Iran is far more dangerous. Thank you.