It is March 1993.
Diplomatic relations between the US and the North Korea are worsening as a result of North Korea's decision to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Tension is rising as the United States is very firm about not wanting North Korea to join the family of nuclear states.
In this game you will play as (text-style: "bold")[the President of the United States.]
You will have to reply to the North Korean developments. What will you do?
<p style="text-align:center;"> Begin your [[career|Name prompt]] </p>
If you would like to know more about the inspiration for this Twine [[click here|info]]
(set: $name to (prompt: "President name", "..."))
..
You look around. A dark sky filled with twinkling stars is all you see, accompanied with the sound of heavy breathing. "Where am I..?"
To your right, an astronaut passes by, his movement slowed down due to the lowered forces of gravity. He looks at you and waves.
'Hey, wake up (print: $name).. focus. We've got a mission here.
  You [[observe the astronaut|Astronaut]]
  You [[ask him about the mission|Astromission]]
.. (link-reveal: "A")[(show: ?suit)]|suit)[ white space suit with.. an American patch on his left shoulder!]
 .. (link-reveal: "An")[(show: ?tank)]|tank)[ oxygen tank on his back with multiple tubes looping around his equipment.]
<img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Aldrin_Apollo_11_cropped.jpg/800px-Aldrin_Apollo_11_cropped.jpg" width="300" height="500" style="vertical-align:middle;margin:0px 500px">
.. (link-reveal: "His")[(show: ?spaceshoes)]|spaceshoes)[ boots dirty from the ash grey rock-sandy surface.]
<div style="text-indent: 2em;">(link-reveal: "Yet,")[(show: ?astropartner)]|astropartner)[ his face remains unknown due to the reflective glass on his helmet.]</div>
  He points behind you.    [[You turn around|Observe Earth]]
Among all the stars, the seemingly nearby planet that is Earth fills your view.
  You stare at it in fascination..  it is beautiful.
<div style="text-indent: 25em;">home to 5 billion people..</div>
hundreds of million years old..
<div style="text-indent: 30em;">it looks so nearby..</div>
  every thought or dream (text-style: "underline")[ever] was produced there up until [[now..|Observe Earth1]] 
Mhm.. mission? You can't quite recall the mission, let alone being sent to the Moon..
You hear faint mumbling and an occasional beep from a communication device, but it does not stand up against to the absolute deafening silence on the Moon and the entire galaxy around you, almost instilling a sense of dread in you.
(text-style: "superscript")[The unfathomely endlessness of space fills your gaze.. A faint voice..?]
(text-style: "fade-in-out") + (link-reveal: "..?")[(show: ?sname)]|sname)[ (print: $name)?]
The realm of infinite possibilities and parallel universes.. The voice gets louder.
(text-style: "fade-in-out") + (link-reveal: "..?")[(show: ?sname1)]|sname1)[ (print: $name), do you copy?]
You snap out of it.
 "Yes, I copy.. So what are we gonna do?
 - 'Well look behind you.'   He points behind you.    [[You turn around|Observe Earth]]"Sweet view huh?"
 You nod. 'It's truly a sight to behold.'
 "Well enjoy it while you (link-reveal: "can..")[(show: ?spacereveal)]|spacereveal)[           since we're about to start (text-style: "bold")[[a nuclear war.|alarm]]](text-style: "bold")[07:00 AM Alarm: BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ]
  You wake up in [a cold sweat]<coldsweat|
(click-append: ?coldsweat)[, like you got hit by a freeze ray during a heat wave.]
  (( That dream was quite vivid.. ))
  You hop out of bed and get ready for the day.
(text-style: "bold")[07:45 AM ]
  You finish up knotting your tie neatly, checking yourself out in the mirror.
  There is a piece of hair sticking out to the side, you brush it
(click-replace: "you brush it")[ah.. thats better.]
  I'll take the [[car|breakfast]] or [[public transport|breakfast]] to work.
'But the President does not need to travel to work(link-reveal: "'")[(show: ?joke)]|joke)[ , you hear your friends' voice say..]
You smile. That one never gets old.
You enter the breakfast lounge and enjoy(cycling-link: " some scrambled egg", " some sausages with beans", " some waffles with syrup", "a bowl of breakfast cereals", " some strictly confidential presidential breakfasting") along with (cycling-link: " a cup of coffee.", " a cup of tea.", " chocolate milk."," a glass of whiskey.", " strictly confidential presidential drinks.")
(text-style: "bold")[08:10 AM ]
Following your breakfast, you move into the Oval Office and take a seat behind your desk.
A secretary opens the door to let you know that the Director of National Intelligence has arrived for your daily briefing.
You nod.
"Good Morning President (print: $name)."
'Good Morning Director Reynolds, take a seat.'
Reynolds sits down and tells you about your [[daily briefing|daily briefing]]<p style="text-align:center;"> (text-style: "bold")[Daily Briefing] </p>Reynolds: "There are multiple developments involving the finding of suspect conspirators of the World Center Bombing, and the new Pentium Intelligence Chips developed by the Intel Corporation are currently being tested by our whitelist hackers."
You notice Director Reynolds swallowing as he pauses.
 'What is wrong?' you ask.
Reynolds: "That intel will have to be postponed to another time.
We have gotten intel from the IAEA after their visit from North Korea. Multiple mismatches were found between declared plutonium product by the DPRK and sample findings of nuclear waste solutions by the Agency. This indicates the existence of undeclarated plutonium and the possibility of North Korean nuclear proliferation, breaching <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons">the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT)</a>.
After the DPRK refused to grant the Agency access to their sites, North Korea accounced its decision to withdraw from the NPT, which means.."
(click-replace: "IAEA")[The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)]
(click-replace: "DPRK")[Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)]  'This is an international state of emergency.'
Well yes President (print: $name), we have thus called for an [[emergency meeting|emergency meeting]]
<p style="text-align:center;"> (text-style: "bold")[Emergency meeting]</p>
You enter the Situation Room.
<div img style="float: right;"><img src="https://www.history.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MTc3NTM1NjU3MDkzMTEzMzA2/white-house-west-wing-situation-room-gettyimages-74187118.webp" width="500" height="300"></div>
Inside are the:
- Secretary of State
- Secretary of Defense
- Secretary of Homeland Security
- Director of National Intelligence
They simultaneously salute. "President (print: $name)."
You greet everybody and sit at the head of the table.
  'The DPRK has done it again..'
(click-replace: "DPRK")[Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)]
You light a cigar to combat the stress, exhaling the fumes in a deep sigh.
  'Who would like to speak on the situation?'
<p style="text-align:center;">[[All four cabinet members raise their hands|Cabinet proposals]] </p>As all four cabinet members decided to raise their hands simultaneously, you decide to let each of them state their claims before picking who to hear out first.
- Secretary of Homeland Security: North Korea is a (text-style: "underline")[mad] actor, [[hear me out..|mad actor]]
- Secretary of Defense: North Korea is a (text-style: "underline")[bad] actor, [[hear me out..|bad actor]]
- Director of National Intelligence: North Korea is a (text-style: "underline")[sad] actor,[[hear me out..|sad actor]]
- Secretary of State: North Korea is a (text-style: "underline")[rational] actor, [[hear me out..|rational actor]]You take a hit from the cigar before pointing at the Secretary of Homeland Security.
  'Mad actor you say? Elaborate.'
The Secretary replies:
"Yes sir, North Korea is a mad country.
North Korea is a rogue state that persues objectives that are alien to the civilized international system. It is mad in the sense that the DPRK is an irrational and chaotic government:
- It does not seek to comply with international standards.
- It does not look to apply maximizing profit-policies to its country.
- We will never know when they may attack, or break treaties."
  You jot down some notes on a piece of paper: 'irrational, chaotic, mad.'
"Some say that North Korea is uninterpretable because there is no reliable information about the country. This may be due to North Korea's devotion to deception, either way they can't be trusted.
I have even heard about things such as cannibalism going on in that damned country.
You raise your hand, 'Alright that's enough, thank you.'
[[listen to the bad actor explanation|bad actor]]
[[listen to the sad actor explanation|sad actor]]
[[listen to the rational actor explanation|rational actor]]
[[I have made my choice.|pick secretary]]You take a hit from the cigar before pointing at the Secretary of Defense.
  'Bad actor you say? Elaborate.'
The Secretary replies:
"Yes sir, North Korea is a bad country.
North Korea is a rogue state that persues objectives that are normatively unacceptable to the civilized international system. It rationally engages in many foul practices and is a textbook definition of a 'rogue state'.
- It is always preparing its arms for war, it is the most militarized state in the world.
- It is a country motivated by malevolence and belligerence.
- It is a country in its own class of human rights violations."
  You jot down some notes on a piece of paper: 'rational, evil intent, bad.'
"Some say that North Korea is devoted to provocative behavior. They extort us for money, engages acts of blackmailing, but are not looking to fight a war. They are open for negotiations but likely can't be trustworthy partners. Though, some of my colleagues have pointed out that only eradication of the North Korean regime will do.
You raise your hand, 'Alright that's enough, thank you.'
[[listen to the mad actor explanation|mad actor]]
[[listen to the sad actor explanation|sad actor]]
[[listen to the rational actor explanation|rational actor]]
[[I have made my choice.|pick secretary]]You take a hit from the cigar before pointing at the Director of National Intelligence.
  'Sad actor you say? Elaborate.'
The Director replies:
"Yes sir, North Korea is a sad country.
While North Korea appears to be a bad or mad country, we have always assumed the worst case scenarios and always dismiss their ability to change. Our humanitarian interventions in the past have taught us that the country has many inadequacies.
- Its citizens are suffering and are not willing to fight in a total war.
- North Korea requires further humanitarian assistence in the form of food and basic human facilities.
- It is a country that physically and mentally damaged."
  You jot down some notes on a piece of paper: 'suffering, needs assistance, sad.'
"Some say that North Korea is devoted to belligerence but it is easy to see that they require help. We should help them modernize and integrate them into the world economy. This way we can start to build a stable relationship.
You raise your hand, 'Alright that's enough, thank you.'
[[listen to the mad actor explanation|mad actor]]
[[listen to the bad actor explanation|bad actor]]
[[listen to the rational actor explanation|rational actor]]
[[I have made my choice.|pick secretary]]You take a hit from the cigar before pointing at the Secretary of State.
  'Rational actor you say? Elaborate.'
The Secretary replies:
"Yes sir, North Korea is a rational country.
North Korea is a country that is conditioned by experiences of war, threats and its nationalism. We may act as if it is a 'hermit kingdom' that is unknowable but we should not stop there.
- We have gotten more credible information from the country as we cooperated
- It is a country that is constructed by historically deprivating scenarios and is not looking to protect itself.
- It is a country looking to rebuild itself."
  You jot down some notes on a piece of paper: 'cooperate, rebuild, rational.'
"Some say that North Korea is devoted to efforts or war, but this could not be further from the truth. They seem interested in rebuilding their nation and finally being freed from threats of war and violence since the end of the 2nd World War. Succesfully negotiating with North Korea will provide a fruitful base for a strong relation as opposed to current coercive relations.
You raise your hand, 'Alright that's enough, thank you.'
[[listen to the mad actor explanation|mad actor]]
[[listen to the bad actor explanation|bad actor]]
[[listen to the sad actor explanation|sad actor]]
[[I have made my choice.|pick secretary]]
  You put down the cigar and put your hands together.
  'Thank you all for your explanations. While they were all good, I have to make a decision here.
  I think North Korea is a:
<p style="text-align:center;">[[Mad Korea|mad korea]]</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">[[Bad Korea|bad korea]]</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">[[Sad Korea|sad korea]]</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">[[Rational Korea|rational korea]]</p>
'I think you're right. North Korea is a mad country.'
  You look at your notes
(click-replace: "notes")[notes: irrational, chaotic, mad.]
'Not only are their people of evil intent, they are unknowable in when they are to act upon diplomatic belligerency. They are dangerous because of because they have have shown us their devotion to deception in the past which is.. highly problematic.
This must also explain their acts of nuclear secrecy and thus their withdrawal from the NPT.'
(click-replace: "NPT")[Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)]
  You look at the Secretary of Homeland Security.
'My question for you is, what do you believe to be the right course of action?'
The Secretary thinks momentarily and answers:
 - [[We are going to have to change North Korea by force.|waroption]]
 - [[While we can not fully trust the North Koreans.. we need to cooperate.|afoption]]
  'I think you're right. North Korea is a bad country.'
  You look at your notes
(click-replace: "notes")[rational, evil intent, bad.]
'The DPRK is a rogue state motivated by acts of evil intent and immoralities. They pose a direct danger to the International Community as they are calculated arms-building and always ready to attack. We are aware they masters of blackmailing and extortion.(click-replace: "DPRK")[Democratic Peoples republic of Korea (DPRK)]
Their nationwide militarization efforts are devoted to fighting wars and that must also explain their withdrawal from the NPT.'
(click-replace: "NPT")[Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)]
  You look at the Secretary of Defense.
'My question for you is, what do you believe to be the right course of action?'
The Secretary thinks momentarily and answers:
 - [[Only eradication of the North Korean regime will do.|waroption]]
 - [[We know they often showcase provocative behavior.. but we must negotiate.|afoption]]
  'I think you're right. North Korea is a sad country.'
  You look at your notes
(click-replace: "notes")[suffering, needs assistance, sad.]
'North Korea finds itself in a dire situation. We are aware of their lack of nourishments for their people, low returns on agriculture and need for infrastructure. They are obviously in need of assistance for integrating into the world economy after years of exclusion.
Their government must be ashamed of asking for aid, we know that 'cornered dogs bite' and that must also explain their withdrawal from the NPT.'
(click-replace: "NPT")[Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)]
  You look at the Director of National Intelligence.
'My question for you is, what do you believe to be the right course of action?'
The Director thinks momentarily and answers:
 - [[While North Korea is indeed a sad country, we first need to negotiate the NPT.|afoption]]
 - [[We need to offer them humanitarian assistance.|assistanceoption]]
 - [[North Korea is indeed sad, this is our chance to get rid of them, once and for all! |waroption2]]
  'I think you're right. North Korea is a Rational actor.'
  You look at your notes
(click-replace: "notes")[cooperate, rebuild, rational.]
'North Korea is a country on which we do lack credible sources and data from. This is partially due to them being conditioned to self-defense after our wars from since the Korean War. They are very aware of their values and firmly stand by them.
Their national pride is compromised as we enforce our own rules and that must also explain their withdrawal from the NPT.'
(click-replace: "NPT")[Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)]
  You look at the Secretary of State.
'My question for you is, what do you believe to be the right course of action?'
The Secretary thinks momentarily and answers:
 - [[We need to negotiate while taking in consideration North Koreas interests.|afoption]]
 - [[We need to offer them humanitarian aid so we can learn more about them.|assistanceoption]]
 - [[They are in a weak position, let's strike them in the heart!|waroption2]]
This is a game inspired by the article "Bad, Mad, Sad, or Rational Actor? Why the Securitization Paradigm makes for poor analysis". The premise of the article is that the Author presents four ways of analyzing North Korea (and looks to steer away from the Bad and Mad thesis)
There have been many nuclear crises between the US and North Korea and the year 1993 is one of them.
This game does not quite look to retrace the exact course of history, instead it looks to offer the player insight into different thinking strands of North Korean analysis. In-game, the choices the player makes will affect the outcome of not just US-North Korean history, but the entire international community!
Lastly I have tried to make the story somewhat interactive and scenic, allowing the player to get some degree of engagement with the character before jumping into the nuclear issue.
<p style="text-align:center;">Thank you for playing.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Made by Charles Froylan.</p>
<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2626200">Source link for the article</a>
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2626200
[[Back to the main screen|Introduction]]
  The toxic fumes from your cigar makes your head hazy. You exhale.
  'They're playing tough huh? We'll teach them a lesson or two'.
  Courses of action:
  (link-reveal: "Don't")[(show: ?dont)]|dont)[ hesistate to prepare all land, air, and naval forces necessary for an all out war.]
      (link-reveal: "Do")[(show: ?do)]|do)[ tell our nation and allies that we're about to change the world.]
         (link-reveal: "It")[(show: ?it)]|it)[ is the only way to make them comply.]
           (link-reveal: "Stop")[(show: ?stop)]|stop)[ping North Korea will also show other countries not to mess with us.]
               (link-reveal: "Now")[(show: ?now)]|now)[ is the time to eradicate the North Koreans once and for all.]
                    [[!|endwar]]The decision to look for negotiation and cooperation has offered a fruitful base for creating a framework between the US and North Korea.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agreed_Framework">The Agreement Framework (AF)</a> was established in 1994.
This framework has led to the freezing of North Korea's nuclear power plant program.
The tradeoff for North Korea was receiving Light-Water Reactors, High Fuel Oil and infrastructure aid from the US and allies.
More importantly, at its core, the AF established the fundamental rule that the future of the Korean Peninsula would be non-nuclear and settled through multilateral dialogue involving, at a minimum, North Korea, South Korea, and the United States.
The stability provided by the AF has initiated more economic cooperation and regional security within the East Asian region.
If North Korea breaks the agreement, their aid ends. The AF also provides a framework to re-negotiate relations.
This is the start of normalizing diplomatic relations between the two countries.
<p style="text-align:center;"> [[Fin|Fin]] </p>South Korea was indeed suffering as a country.
Aid from the International Community in 1994 and 1995 after the Great Hunger in North Korea has provided a fruitful base for cooperation.
North Korea was found to be a much more complex society than originally thought through the 'bad and mad' Korea thesis.
US Humanitarians have found that North Korean Humanitarians that are equally passionate about improving the welfare needs of many.
Good quality information was gained in a way which did not infringe on North Korean autonomy.
North Korea turned out to be a society in a process of change.
Sunshine Policy was initiated by South Korea, looking to re-negotiate its diplomatic ties with North Korea.
Stability was restored in East Asia.
<p style="text-align:center;"> [[Fin|Fin]] </p>  After hearing about North Korea's struggles and need of humanitarian assistance,
  you still decide to nuke them?
<p style="text-align:center;"> We are all very disappointed in you. </p>
<div img style="float: left;"><img src="https://newyork.cbslocal.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/14578484/2017/07/gettyimages-818182482.jpg" width="400" height="250"></div> <div img style="float: right;"><img src="https://im-media.voltron.voanews.com/Drupal/01live-166/styles/892x501/s3/2019-04/40B81E10-D1D2-4918-8380-969DC4EF4963.jpg?itok=E8bctFf8" width="400" height="250"></div>
<div img style="float: left;"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/4e8c4b99eab8eaea1300009b/image.jpg" width="400" height="250"></div>
<div img style="float: right;"><img src="https://im-media.voltron.voanews.com/Drupal/01live-166/styles/892x501/s3/2019-12/RTS2WQ5Q.jpg?itok=-aV9jTgD" width="400" height="250"></div>
<p style="text-align:center;"> [[Fin|Fin]] </p><p style="text-align:center;">Well done president, I hope you enjoyed performing your duties</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Check out the other endings:</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">[[I have made my choice.|pick secretary]]</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">[[Return to the main screen|Introduction]]</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">[[Information and Inspiration source|info]]</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Thank you for playing!</p><p style="text-align:center;">The decision of going to nuclear war with North Korea once sounded attractive,</p><p style="text-align:center;"> the aftermath of war however leaves a bleak future for the world.</p>
Millions of people died in North Korea, an indoctrinated population is left with about 5% of the original infrastructure left. There does not seem to be any hope of rebuilding.
There is no arable land left as radiation and infertility have taken place following the nuclear bombs. North Korea is now the most bombed country in the world.
The little population that is left behind in North Korea is missing families, suffers from radiation and is perpetually scarred, survivors' guilt is the main psychological state in the country.
North Korea struck back Nuclear missiles at South Korea, Japan and U.S. Oceania.
Millions of innocent lives are lost. Infrastructure damage is in the trillions.
The global community turns its back on the US the the most inhumane country in the World.
Every country in the world now looks to proliferate Nuclear weapons as method of self-defense.
<p style="text-align:center;"> [[Fin|Fin]] </p>