Despite Russian opposition already having effectively killed the chances of a total oil ban on North Korea being enforced, the US is still pushing the plan at the UN Security Council. It’s not just a ban, however. The US wants permission to militarily enforce it.
The resolution includes broad language allowing the US Navy and Air Force to capture and board North Korean ships at sea, and to use “all necessary measures” to force them to reveal if they are complying with the ban.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley is looking for a vote by Monday, though it seems like any language within the bill about interdiction of North Korean ships is likely to be removed at the behest of both China and Russia if the resolution is to survive at all.
China is said to be interested in showing that they are “cooperating” with the US on some sort of UN resolution, though Russia has been more frank about opposing more sanctions. Either way, the US goal seems to be leaving at least some of the language about the interdiction within, and then treating that as permission.
The resolution is more than just a way to try to enforce and unenforceable embargo. The US plan is to militarily board North Korean ships, and officials are conceding that’s almost certainly a recipe for military confrontation.
The Treasury Department warned on Wednesday that if the UN action is blocked the US might go through with imposing a ban on all US trade with dozens of nations that trade with North Korea. Such a move would have disastrous economic consequences worldwide.
Sounds an awful lot like piracy to me.
It’s like torture. The definition changes if it’s the good guys doing it.
It often seems to me that China is near useless at the UN in opposing anything that the US wants to do, they let/force Russia do all the heavy lifting
You’re right – China seems to be the peacemaker. Do you think the US would vote “yea” on a measure that would allow Russia or China to board, oh let’s say Israeli ships?
Boarding DPRK ships? Yeah, that’s a great idea. No way that could escalate…
Munchkin should go ahead and impose his trade ban. It’s such a wonderfully well thought out idea, isn’t it?
Yes.
Glad our current active-duty military troll agrees.
Isn’t that considered an ‘act of war’? The lunatics are truly running the asylum…
Back in 1812, it was. Understandable error – Haley”s (Comet) and other neocons are pig ignorant , except for what Israel wants.
NK will most definitely see it as an act of war.
NYTimes . . .blah, blah blah. Meanwhile Russia and the two Koreas plan to work together on economic development, and China will be on board as Russia pivots to Asia because of US enmity.
Why does anyone still read the NYT? Surely by now we all know that they are not to be trusted. They withhold stories at the request of the US govt. They report fake news. They were the ones who promoted the deaths of thousands of Americans by allowing Judy Miller to give Dick Cheney a direct pipeline to the NYT front page.
If the NYT told me the sun’s going to set in the west tonight, I’d go outside and check for myself before I believed it.
Stop reading the NYT. First, it means they can’t get fake news into your head. And second, it will put them out of business. Win-win if you ask me.
The US is begging for war.
Rest of humanity should tell rabid-dog USA to jump in a lake full of hungry gators.
why go the UN? just go to Congress. they’ll give the Navy letters of marque
If the US borads these ship in international waters, it is PIRACY and act of war on the US part.