Earlier today, the U.S. submitted a resolution designed to tighten existing sanctions on North Korea to the United Nations Security Council. The 22-page proposal was distributed to all 15 members of the council and is designed to upgrade the current sanctions against North Korea following the country's recent nuclear weapons test on January 6th and rocket launch on 7th. In the past decade, North Korea has conducted four nuclear tests and launched six long-range missiles, which have all been in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Some of the major points of the resolution included mandatory inspection for all cargo going in and out of the country, financial sanctions on North Korean banks/assets, limitations on exporting certain minerals and metals, and the prohibition of aviation fuel. The resolution also entails a list of certain North Korean individuals and entities who would be subject to sanctions.
Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., stated, "These sanctions, if adopted, would send an unambiguous and unyielding message to the DPRK regime... There will be consequences for your actions, and we will work relentlessly and collectively to stop your nuclear program." Power also specified that the resolution is targeted at punishing North Korea's elite rather than the North Korean people as "the North Korean people have suffered so much already under one of the most brutal regimes the world has ever known" (USA),
This resolution, if adopted, could potentially be strongest set of U.N. sanctions imposed in more than two decades (CNN). The vote on the resolution could be decided as soon as this weekend.
How effective do you think this sanction will be? Will it deter North Korea from future launches or will North Korea continue to with their antics? Do you think more sanctions will be necessary in the future?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/02/25/un-ambassador-power-submit-n-korea-sanctions-resolution/80918668/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/25/world/un-north-korea-sanctions-resolution/
