To: "Dear Leader", from an American Citizen

Dear Leader of North Korea,

I am writing you as a private citizen of the United States. I feel privileged being able to write this without fear of censorship from my government. I am issuing you an invitation to debate the American people, since our government's power is derived from us. This is why freedom of expression is protected here.

I would like to start with a topic that we can both agree on. I agree with you that the United Nations has been ineffective. I'm sure you are aware that the government of Iran has recently ignored, then outright rejected all resolutions emanating from that body concerning their development of nuclear power. Many here are therefore not surprised that you have chosen the path of rejecting similar resolutions, and we sincerely regret it. I would only point out to you that, despite all the disagreement in our country concerning the role of the U.N. in the world, we are still able to host leaders on our soil to air their view of the world without violent demonstration. This includes the leaders of Iran and Venezuela, who clearly wish to find a way to destabilize our country. I'm certain that our President would not obstruct you, should you opt to come to New York City and voice your opinions. Yes, when the U.N. was created after World War II, your country was a pressing issue, as was the Middle East with respect to the creation of the Jewish State. Sadly, over 60 years later, we have no peace for your country or the Middle East.

What I disagree with is that you have anything to fear from the American People. Cuba is very different politically and is our geographical neighbor, but we do not have any desire to attack them. We have no illusions of being a perfect country. In fact, we have the characteristic of being able to laugh at ourselves through opinion journals, television and movies. I can tell you with certainty that we do not hate the people of North Korea. We would be very happy to live in mutual peace.

I challenge the notion that the American people do not have the will to fight if they perceive their country is in danger. It was said that Saddam Hussein judged us too weak and internally divisive to withstand a prolonged conflict. Currently, the leaders in Iran are making the same error in judgement of our character. It is true, some wars can be fought for the wrong reasons, but we, the people, will support a war if we perceive it to be just. History will ultimately be the judge. I think that the fear in the U.S. concerning new nuclear programs is that it may lead to sales to other countries harboring hate towards us, if not used by the country itself for that purpose.

We, the people, know that relations with your country can be repaired. Witness Japan and Germany, once feared enemies, now partners in peace. We are eternal optimists. In my opinion, what we here call "The Great Experiment" asks whether we can have a federal republic such as ours and continue to exist. There is no exact precedent in world history, so the question is not yet answered. I can say that we are more united than many outside of our country may think. A past leader of ours, Abraham Lincoln, said famously that "A house divided against itself cannot stand". We always have this wisdom in our hearts. Despite internal political divisions, and despite contentious election cycles that we are sometimes ashamed to see, we stand together as a nation. We will defend our country to the last, not out of hate for others, but out of love for this country that our founders sacrificed much for. If history chronicles the demise of our country, it will be as our founders envisioned it. It was created by we, the people, and only we can be the agents of our own destruction.

May peace prevail.

respectfully,

a humble citizen