Following the nuclear test fizzle, the international community at the UN has attempted to test its resolve to defend the West--and indeed the world--from rogue nations. We have attempted to get a resolution to punish North Korea passed in the Security Council.
But the Russians and Chinese are continuing to object:
Despite winning key concessions, Russia and China raised new objections that could delay a vote Saturday on a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing punishing sanctions on North Korea for its claimed nuclear test.
Air sample tests taken by aircraft flying around the UN detected increased air temperatures consistent with hot air rather than actual effective reaction. Clearly another fizzle.
Had the UN test been successful, they would have become the fourth major body to demonstrate the possession of resolve, after the United States, Britain, and Australia.
In the absence of a successful UN test, Japan is anticipated to become the fourth resolve-possessing body in the world as it reacts to the signs of North Korean intent.
UPDATE: The UNSC has passed a resolution:
The resolution demands North Korea eliminate all its nuclear weapons but expressly rules out military action against the country — a demand by the Russians and Chinese. The Americans also eliminated a complete ban on the sale of conventional weapons; instead, the resolution limits the embargo to major hardware such as tanks, warships, combat aircraft and missiles.
Ooh... Aah... Wow... This is ACTION! UNACTION! Even now, clerks at the UNSC are addressing an envelope and putting the red-tinged paper visible through the address window that shows Pyongyang that this time we're serious.
UNserious, of course. The international community has just demanded that North Korea give up nuclear weapons, but ruled out military action and refused to ban even weapons North Korea can't afford to buy.
So really, nothing much has changed. We've always wanted them to renounce nuclear weapons and we've never been willing to attack or cut them off from even weapons they can't afford to buy.
What really amuses me is that this announcment is placed on the top of the Yahoo! News page as if it is important to spread the word rapidly. STOP THE PRESSES! The UN has ... well, done nothing, really. Sadly enough, it will be in the UN annual report as one of their "successes" of the year. Even more sadly, given the body's sorry record, it probably will rank right up there.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Wait one moment. We did get one big victory in this mush of words and it may outweigh the faux resolve of the international community:
The U.S.-drafted resolution allows nations to stop cargo going to and from North Korea to check for weapons of mass destruction or related supplies.
That means the Proliferation Security Initiative that we've formed to intercept WMD at sea. Since this is US-led and not UN-led, it could really be used to hamper North Korean trade. If we stop every damned ship going into or out of North Korea to check for WMD, we could really screw up their feeble economy while we screen for WMD.
All right, John Bolton.
Of course, it would have helped if we had banned air traffic coming out of North Korea. Nukes and nuclear-related material can be delivered by air, of course. But this was progress, after all. I won't whine too much about the vaunted international community given what I expected.
