Why do we sanction North Korea?

[Conifer Grove]

Why do we sanction North Korea when there are countries with arguably worse human rights conditions such as Saudi Arabia?

In North Korea women have the same rights as men.
In North Korea there are many different religious beliefs tolerated, while in Saudi Arabia only one is.
In North Korea there was never any laws against homosexuality meanwhile in Saudi Arabia gay people are killed by the state.


The US currently supports a Saudi led war in Yemen that has led to the deaths of over 230,000 people.

I propose we remove sanctions on the DPRK (North Korea).

[Raider Clans]

Maybe it's because of the dictator who threatens to nuke everyone. Just a thought.

[-Astoria]

I dunno, maybe because of that guy rattling ICBMs in everyone's faces.

[Aclion]

In North Korea women have the same rights as men.

[Munkcestrian Republic]

Because nobody likes coal (other than most Republican politicians around election time and a few leftists here in the UK) and everyone needs oil.

[Munkcestrian Republic]

In North Korea women have the same rights as men.

Women aren’t a race.

[Kowani]

I dunno, maybe because of that guy rattling ICBMs in everyone's faces.

But is he rattling ICBMs because he’s a dictator, or because he’s under sanction?

[-Astoria]

I dunno, maybe because of that guy rattling ICBMs in everyone's faces.

But is he rattling ICBMs because he’s a dictator, or because he’s under sanction?

Likely the former, and less of the latter. Take Cuba for example.

[Arumdaum]

There are at least two reasons for the current sanctions on North Korea.

One is to weaken the current regime and hope for eventual regime change.

The other is to prevent nuclear proliferation. Allowing NK to have nuclear weapons may send the message to other states that they could also pursue nuclear weapons without worrying about much action from others. NK also has a history of exporting missile technology to other states in the Middle East. It is recognized among security and NK experts that that NK believes that the possession of nuclear weapons to be a strategic and key deterrent against any invasion or attempt at overturning the regime a la Iraq or Libya. Despite common discourse in the West, he does not plan on randomly nuking people on a whim.

Despite all the talk on human rights, this is not among the main reasons as to the sanctions. Saudi Arabia is also not sanctioned by the US as it serves US geopolitical interests, whereas North Korea does not.

[Conifer Grove]

Maybe it's because of the dictator who threatens to nuke everyone. Just a thought.

They've explicitly stated that they will only use them in self defense.

[Munkcestrian Republic]

Maybe it's because of the dictator who threatens to nuke everyone. Just a thought.

I dunno, maybe because of that guy rattling ICBMs in everyone's faces.

Which has nothing to do with the time you won hearts and minds by killing 10% of the North Korean population (and a bunch of South Korean civilians too).

[The Underground Movement Union]

Why do we sanction North Korea when there are countries with arguably worse human rights conditions such as Saudi Arabia?

In North Korea women have the same rights as men.
In North Korea there are many different religious beliefs tolerated, while in Saudi Arabia only one is.
In North Korea there was never any laws against homosexuality meanwhile in Saudi Arabia gay people are killed by the state.


The US currently supports a Saudi led war in Yemen that has led to the deaths of over 230,000 people.

I propose we remove sanctions on the DPRK (North Korea).

Because Saudi Arabia's natural resources are beneficial to the United States and North Korea is in opposition to the United States. That's why we sanction North Korea.

[Kowani]

But is he rattling ICBMs because he’s a dictator, or because he’s under sanction?

Likely the former, and less of the latter. Take Cuba for example.

The country right next to the US, which had a track record of toppling leftist governments and attempted to assassinate Castro even before he got nukes? Yeah, no clue why they’d want nuclear weapons.

[Drongonia]

Oh I don't know... Maybe because they have made repeated threats to attack Japan, South Korea, the United States and even Australia with nuclear arms? Maybe it's because they flout both international diplomatic etiquette and rules of law with their flagrant human rights abuses and apparent disdain towards any kind of democracy? Or it could be because they have an illegal counterfeiting operation worth billions of US Dollars and British Pounds? Or perhaps it's because they shoot people who try to leave the country illegally, regardless of whether they're citizens, tourists or soldiers?

That's the kind of stuff that doesn't happen in Saudi Arabia. Not saying the Saudis are perfect, they aren't, but they aren't complete scum like the North Korean Kim dynasty.

EDIT: Oh, or could it be that there have been multiple substantiated reports that North Korean special agents scoop people up from the coasts of Japan and South Korea to interrogate them, as if they'll be able to provide some kind of insight into how their home country works?

[Raider Clans]

Maybe it's because of the dictator who threatens to nuke everyone. Just a thought.

They've explicitly stated that they will only use them in self defense.

Yeah, they're gonna have to prove it, and they're not very convincing right now.

[Munkcestrian Republic]

They've explicitly stated that they will only use them in self defense.

Yeah, they're gonna have to prove it, and they're not very convincing right now.

Why would they use them for anything else

[Kowani]

They've explicitly stated that they will only use them in self defense.

Yeah, they're gonna have to prove it, and they're not very convincing right now.

How exactly would you prove that?

[Drongonia]

Yeah, they're gonna have to prove it, and they're not very convincing right now.

Why would they use them for anything else

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-15/ ... us/9051156
"Self-defence"

[Raider Clans]

Yeah, they're gonna have to prove it, and they're not very convincing right now.

How exactly would you prove that?

Start by not threatening surrounding nations.

[Kowani]

How exactly would you prove that?

Start by not threatening surrounding nations.

Meanwhile, India and Pakistan keep threatening each other, but no sanctions on them.

[Munkcestrian Republic]

Maybe because they have made repeated threats to attack Japan [...] with nuclear arms?

The US is even worse on that front, they actually did nuke Japan and haven’t apologised for it and plenty of Americans like to make hilarious jokes about how “two nukes wasn’t enough” (next, of course, they’ll be telling Jews “six million wasn’t enough”)

[Drongonia]

Maybe because they have made repeated threats to attack Japan [...] with nuclear arms?

The US is even worse on that front, they actually did nuke Japan and haven’t apologised for it and plenty of Americans like to make hilarious jokes about how “two nukes wasn’t enough” (next, of course, they’ll be telling Jews “six million wasn’t enough”)

During a state of worldwide war. You can argue whether or not it was justifiable to nuke Japan, that's another thread. But at that point Japan was a hostile nation and an aggressor. What do Japan, South Korea and Australia actively do that warrants them being blown off the face of the planet?

[Munkcestrian Republic]

Why would they use them for anything else

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-15/ ... us/9051156
"Self-defence"

unlike the United States, which has never told anyone that bad things could happen to them if they don’t listen to Washington. on a completely unrelated note, has anyone found Saddam’s WMDs yet?

[-Astoria]

Maybe it's because of the dictator who threatens to nuke everyone. Just a thought.

I dunno, maybe because of that guy rattling ICBMs in everyone's faces.

Which has nothing to do with the time you won hearts and minds by killing 10% of the North Korean population (and a bunch of South Korean civilians too).

Who is this "you" directed at?

Also, correlation does not equal causation.

[Conifer Grove]

Oh I don't know... Maybe because they have made repeated threats to attack Japan, South Korea, the United States and even Australia with nuclear arms? Maybe it's because they flout both international diplomatic etiquette and rules of law with their flagrant human rights abuses and apparent disdain towards any kind of democracy? Or it could be because they have an illegal counterfeiting operation worth billions of US Dollars and British Pounds? Or perhaps it's because they shoot people who try to leave the country illegally, regardless of whether they're citizens, tourists or soldiers?

That's the kind of stuff that doesn't happen in Saudi Arabia. Not saying the Saudis are perfect, they aren't, but they aren't complete scum like the North Korean Kim dynasty.

EDIT: Oh, or could it be that there have been multiple substantiated reports that North Korean special agents scoop people up from the coasts of Japan and South Korea to interrogate them, as if they'll be able to provide some kind of insight into how their home country works?

There's ample evidence to prove that the Saudi government was involved in 9/11
not to mention the US' funding of the Mujahideen during the cold war