The GW Institute for Korean Studies wants to hear from you! Submit a blog post sharing your opinion about our monthly topic, and you will be featured on the Student Voices section of our website. This is a great way to make your voice heard, exchange ideas with other GW students, and add some published writing experience to your resume! Check out past Student Voices posts here.
September/October Topic: U.N. Sanctions on North Korea
Background: On Monday, September 11, the United Nations Security Council approved UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2375, which imposed stricter sanctions on textile exports and oil in response to North Korea’s sixth nuclear test, conducted on September 3. This came just one month after the August 5 vote to impose UNSCR 2371 sanctions in response to North Korea’s two July inter-continental ballistic missile tests. North Korea has been subject to UN sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006. Many see UN action as the best way to address the North Korean nuclear program, but some experts say the U.S. should focus on implementing its own unilateral sanctions instead of working with China and Russia at the UN. Others argue that no form of sanctions will be effective. After North Korea’s September 15 missile test, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said, “We have pretty much exhausted all the things that we can do at the Security Council at this point.”
Guiding Questions:
– Have UN sanctions have had an effect on North Korea’s nuclear program?
– How successful will the most recent UN sanctions be? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this resolution?
– Should the U.S. continue to work on UN sanctions resolutions, or focus on unilateral sanctions?
– Are there other, more effective ways to address North Korea’s nuclear program?
– What are the key challenges to addressing North Korea’s nuclear program at the UN? What are possible solutions?
– How has UN action towards North Korea changed over time? Are these changes positive or negative?
– What next steps should the UN Security Council take regarding North Korea?
The questions above are only suggestions; please feel free to take your own creative approach to the topic!
Submission Instructions:
– Posts should be approximately 300-1,000 words.
– Email gwiks@gwu.edu and provide your @gwu.edu email address, and we will send instructions for posting to the blog.
– Submissions will be accepted until Monday, October 30.
Please contact gwiks@gwu.edu if you have any questions.
Happy writing!
