Securitization of north korea`s nuclear weapons in usa public space

The research object: Securitization of North Korea`s nuclear weapons in USA public space and it`s implications for USA Nuclear Posture Review. The research problem: Although the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons has dominated the USA security discourse for a long time, the threat was particularly escalated during 2017-2018 North Korea's nuclear crisis. At the same time, the USA has changed the place of nuclear weapons in security and defence policy. Therefore, it is not enough to assess these events in isolation, but it is helpful to analyse that the securitization of North Korea`s nuclear weapons had an effect on the latest Nuclear Posture Review. The key question of this thesis: How have key decision-makers securitized North Korea's nuclear weapons and what implications does this have for the Nuclear Posture Review? The aim of this thesis: Based on securitization theory, the aim is to find out how securitization of North Korea's nuclear weapons was reflected in the USA Nuclear Posture Review. Defensive statement of this research: The securitization of North Korea's nuclear weapons is reflected in the latest Nuclear Posture Review. In order to answer the research question, the following tasks are raised: (1) Introduce the theory of securitization; (2) Introduce the place of nuclear weapons threat in the USA National Security Strategy; (3) Analyse the process of securitization in the USA public space and President`s Twiter posts; (4) Find out how North Korea's nuclear weapons have been securitized in the US Nuclear Posture Review; (5) Find out if the public has accepted the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons and proposed measures. Securitization process of the North Korean nuclear weapon`s is being split into international sanctions and USA military means blocs, each targeting complete North Korean denuclearization. First, the international sanction block is constructing the image of North Korea as a global threat, which is not only the responsibility of the USA but also of the entire international community. The USA gives priority to international sanctions that require the support of the international community. Secondly, the USA military means bloc is constructing the image of North Korea as an irrational and unreliable state, securitizing nuclear weapons. This is the most important point in the research, since the USA has securitized North Korea, as it is now, and its nuclear weapons, therefore the USA has no other choice, only to go to complete denuclearization of North Korea. In this work, the defensive assertion confirms that securitization of North Korea's nuclear weapons is reflected in the USA Nuclear Program Review, as it is compared with threat and emergency tools categories assigned to the military means block. The USA can not tolerate an irrational and unreliable state like North Korea which has nuclear weapons and means to deliver them, so the USA has as the last resort to implement North Korean denuclearization by military means, i.e. destruction of critical nuclear infrastructure or regime. The relevance of this work is based on the fact that North Korean threat as such and its nuclear capability has been heavily securitized in the USA public space, so the USA has no other choice but to implement a complete North Korean denuclearization. This explains why the ongoing negotiations are stalling because the USA President has no choice but to completely denuclearize North Korea, and North Korea is seeking incremental denuclearization. In addition, the international sanctions block reveals a broader range of potential research topics, and it is important to explore how the USA has been able to mobilise international support for international sanctions, especially from countries like Russia and China. Future research is therefore recommended to look at how the United Nations Security Council has sought to secure North Korea's threats and adopt extraordinary measures