The Post reports that North Korea announced on state t.v. that the government will begin new nuclear tests in reaction to new U.N. sanctions sponsored by the United States. And in return, the U.S. and China plan for even tougher sanctions if the tests are undertaken.
This report has reinforced my view that much of the time sanctions imposed upon “rogue” nations, i.e., any country that does not bow to the alter of the U.S. and the U.N., does not usually work. Now I do recognize that sanctions against Iraq stopped their WMD production, but it did not give to a peoples’ revolution to overthrow the dictator. And look at Cuba, North Korea, and Iran. Sanctions there have had no affect on the leaders’ ambitions but have only harmed the peoples of those nations.
Please comment if you have any relevant opinions or if you disagree with me. This idea is new to me and I may be wrong.
Sparking The Left 
Sanctions don’t really effect the leadership of north Korea because what little wealth the country generates goes to them first and the remaining crumbs goes to the people. Also, any new sanctions will affect the people more than the leadership. For North Korea, it has in the past leveraged nuclear ambitions for aid. What I mean is North Korea will stir up international crises and in exchange for backing off, they request some sort of aid or a lifting of sanctions. China will ensure that sanctions against North Korea are not too tough. The reason being is that China needs to keep North Korea afloat with aid and making sure sanctions do not hurt it too much. The reason being is that if North Korea falls, it will create chaos opening the floodgates for North Korean refugees into China which it can not handle. It needs a stable North Korea to act as a buffer against South Korea and western influences. Last of all, The UN and the US talk the talk about tough sanctions but if you haven’t noticed, Beijing, Washington, Seoul and Tokyo are transitioning to new leaders, meaning that they are more concerned with domestic issues to secure their power and will not have the appetite to deal with North Korea.
Its not against the law to launch nuclear tests. The US China and Russia do it all the time. I write about this issue in one of my blog posts http://internationalaffairscanada.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/north-korea-joining-an-elite-club-by-putting-a-satellite-into-space/
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Yeah, it seems like we’re coming from the same place. Sanctions punish the people, hoping they’ll revolt while the leaders still reap their economic indulgences.
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