World Powers Can't Kick the Sanctions Habit
- Treasury Secretary Lew warned against overuse of sanctions
- North Korea remains defiant despite tightening UN measures
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 29: German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier holds a speech as the chairman of OSCE in United Nations Security Council during his visit to the United States on February 29, 2016 in New York, United States.
Photographer: Michael Gottschalk/Photothek via Getty ImagesTo rein in countries from North Korea to Sudan, global powers are boosting their reliance on United Nations sanctions aimed at forcing recalcitrant governments to drop weapons programs, stop attacking their civilians or respect the results of elections. They usually fail.
In March, the 15-member Security Council voted to toughen economic sanctions against North Korea, already one of the world’s most isolated regimes, for a missile launch and nuclear test that violated previous UN resolutions. Pyongyang responded with more launches, including one fired from a submarine on Saturday. Few analysts expect leader Kim Jong Un, who has tolerated widespread hunger and malnutrition among his people, to abandon his weapons program before he has the technology to deliver nuclear weapons to the U.S. mainland.