A series of threats issued by US President Donald Trump and his Ambassador to the United Nations Nikky Haley did not stop North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from continuing testing nuclear ballistic missiles, including a powerful Hydrogen bomb on September 03.
There is no doubt that North Korea has now become a member of the nuclear club. The UN Security Council condemned North Korea for violation of its resolutions but did not increase sanctions.
The regime of Kim Jong Un said the missiles were a prelude to more military operations aimed at the US Pacific territory of Guam but refrained from doing so, as of now.
Meanwhile, President Trump has threatened to cut trade relations with countries that are doing business with North Korea while the US Secretary of Defence said massive military response is on the table to nuclear threat from North Korea. China, however, reacted sharply to the threat of cutting trade relationship. The United States, meanwhile, conducted a successful missile defence test, shooting a ballistic missile out of the sky near Hawaii.
President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation rejected further economic sanctions against North Korea when he received President of South Korea Moon Jae-In on the sidelines of an eastern economic forum in Vladivostok on September 07 while he supported South Korean effort to handle the issue related to North Korea. Seoul's 25.6 million residents are in direct firing range of thousand pieces of North Korean artillery stationed along the border.
US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley has proposed a ban on oil exports to and textile import from North Korea and an embargo on North Korean workers. She also proposed freezing of assets of leader Kim Jong Un. The US Ambassador's effort to stop supply of oil to North Korea did not materialise because the veto power of Russia toned down the proposal. Therefore, the Security Council imposed sanctions which limit oil imports into North Korea and prohibited it from exporting textiles. The US Ambassador is of the opinion that oil is the lifeblood of North Korea's effort to build and fund nuclear weapons. As of now, China was the single supplier of oil to North Korea and recently Russia also joined in so doing. However, in an emergency meeting, the Security Council directed 193 member-states of the UN to fully, comprehensively and immediately implement all UN sanctions against North Korea while it welcomed a peaceful and comprehensive solution to North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue.
Meanwhile, Kremlin has been accusing the United States of fomenting 'military hysteria in the region' and called for a political settlement. President Putin warned of global catastrophe over North Korea if it is attacked militarily. It seems that the US has been isolated in dealing with the rogue regime as Russia and China, both having veto power, are against military action against North Korea. A strong ally of the US in Korean peninsula, South Korea is in favour of negotiations by offering incentives to North Korea.
Meanwhile, in his maiden speech in the United Nations General Assembly on September 19, President Trump described North Korean leader Kim Jung Un 'Rocket Man' and threatened to 'destroy North Korea' from the map. This appears to be needlessly inflammatory. In reply, the North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un described President Trump as "mentally deranged."
On the sidelines of UN General Assembly session, President Trump met South Korean President Moon Jae and Japanese Prime Minister Abe and praised China for instructing Chinese banks to halt financial transactions with North Korea. On September 21, Trump signed an executive order expanding the Treasury Department's ability to freeze the assets of banks or individuals doing business with North Korea.
As against such ominous developments, Dennis Rodman, a retired basketball star player of the US, has proposed a dialogue between the US and North Korea. He is reputed to have developed friendship with North Korean erratic dictator Kim Jong UN. Rodman had been to Pyongyang several times since 2013, and recently in June this year, to promote basketball game in North Korea. During his visits to Pyongyang, he had encounters several times with Kim Jong Un. Would the US administration utilise Rodman's services and appoint him as an ambassador-at-large to improve relations with North Korea?
The writer is a retired diplomat from Bangladesh.
amjad.21@gmail.com