2008 Woodie Awards
UN passes resolution to condemn North Korean nuke test
James Marconi
Issue date: 10/19/06 Section: Opinion
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Air tests have definitively confirmed that North Korea detonated a nuclear weapon last Monday, though the blast was unusually small, less than a kiloton. Now nations around the world are scrambling to deal with the fallout. The announcement of such an explosion has forced countries like the United States to face a question that has remained unanswered for years - what to do with a nuclear DPRK?
One possibility, as always, is that of economic sanctions. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Saturday strongly condemning the test and imposing "trade, travel and other sanctions [on North Korea] as punishment for its…nuclear weapons test" (www.cnn.com). The Chinese ambassador has promised to detain and search shipments to and from North Korea across China's borders, but has avoided fully committed to enforcing the measures of the sanctions, including interdiction of cargo ships at sea.
In my mind, this essentially kills the effectiveness of the resolution. If China is not willing to jump onboard and implement the resolution's provisions to their fullest extent, then economic pressure on North Korea will fail. For one, China is the most powerful country in that region - therefore their cooperation with the resolution serves as a potent model. More importantly, close to one third of all North Korea's annual imports come from China (www.worldfactbook.com).
Should China fail to curb some of these imports, the effect on the DPRK's economy would not be as substantial, and therefore would not represent a real punishment.
Another solution suggested by some to ensure North Korea's peaceful intentions would be either bilateral or six-party talks, aimed at nuclear 'negotiation.' Again, such talks would be a dead end, for two reasons. Number one, North Korea is already a nuclear state. Granted, they have not yet perfected the technology, as evidenced by the laughably low yield of their bomb. But they are nuclear nonetheless - and their program can only improve with time and technology. To deny this would be comparable to an ostrich burying its head in the sand; that is to say, we would only be deceiving ourselves.
One possibility, as always, is that of economic sanctions. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Saturday strongly condemning the test and imposing "trade, travel and other sanctions [on North Korea] as punishment for its…nuclear weapons test" (www.cnn.com). The Chinese ambassador has promised to detain and search shipments to and from North Korea across China's borders, but has avoided fully committed to enforcing the measures of the sanctions, including interdiction of cargo ships at sea.
In my mind, this essentially kills the effectiveness of the resolution. If China is not willing to jump onboard and implement the resolution's provisions to their fullest extent, then economic pressure on North Korea will fail. For one, China is the most powerful country in that region - therefore their cooperation with the resolution serves as a potent model. More importantly, close to one third of all North Korea's annual imports come from China (www.worldfactbook.com).
Should China fail to curb some of these imports, the effect on the DPRK's economy would not be as substantial, and therefore would not represent a real punishment.
Another solution suggested by some to ensure North Korea's peaceful intentions would be either bilateral or six-party talks, aimed at nuclear 'negotiation.' Again, such talks would be a dead end, for two reasons. Number one, North Korea is already a nuclear state. Granted, they have not yet perfected the technology, as evidenced by the laughably low yield of their bomb. But they are nuclear nonetheless - and their program can only improve with time and technology. To deny this would be comparable to an ostrich burying its head in the sand; that is to say, we would only be deceiving ourselves.
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