In response to human rights violations in North Korea, some people believe that the United States government, backed by some countries in Europe, should use force to bring the torture to an end.  In this case, the term “big stick” refers more to economic pressure by using embargoes to send North Korea's already fragile economy into turmoil.  In addition to the human rights violations, some people truly believe that the North Korean nuclear weapons program poses a serious threat to the United States.  They believe that it is time to use a more aggressive approach in negotiations with North Korea.