Sanctions on North Korea: Is this the right approach?
China has agreed to a modified draft of sanctions against North Korea, however, Russia still resisted, although Russia’s ambassador to the UN has indicated that the draft goes in the right direction.
Both China and Russia supported resolution 1718 that was imposed on North Korea after the 2006 nuclear test, yet neither country implemented the sanctions. China’s response and the implementation of the sanctions would likely be the strongest determinant of the effectiveness of the sanctions.
Pyongyang, however, shows no sign of complying with the UN requests. It is obvious that it is on its way to becoming a nuclear power in the region.
It will be interesting to see how the world will respond to Pyongyang’s latest taunt considering that the 2006 sanctions had little or no effect. My question is how Pyongyang can go this way with the threat of tougher sanctions, the 2006 sanctions have had no effect? If so, why? Is someone really implementing the imposed sanctions? Will the new draft be more effective?
Pyongyang has warned that any interference with shipments in and out of the country will be considered an act of war and that it will retaliate accordingly. Do we take it seriously or are they just empty threats? I hope we don’t get to the point where we actually find out because the consequences will be far reaching.
What is the general feeling out there? What are our options and should we be so concerned in the first place?
