Ratchet up the rhetoric, sanctions
The nuanced diplomatic rhetoric out of Washington the past eight years has failed to convince Pyongyang that the United States will prohibit North Korea from becoming a nuclear power. North Korea’s nuclear provocations deserve increasingly harsh responses.
A common misperception is that tough sanctions on North Korea are already in place. The fact is, the restraints on Pyongyang pale in comparison with those on Iran. Critics and supporters of the 2015 nuclear deal agree that sanctions were the main driver that brought Iran to the negotiating table. If the Trump administration wants to change North Korea’s behavior, it should look to the Iran sanctions playbook. Our sanctions have to be at least as tough as they were on Iran, or even tougher.
The key aspect of the Iran sanctions model was that it forced companies, individuals, banks and governments to make a choice: Continue doing business with Iran or join the U.S. efforts. The approach worked around the world as banks and companies — and eventually governments — cur- tailed or eliminated business with Iran.
To be as tough on North Korea as it was on Iran, America should move aggressively against the Chinese banks that are integral to North Korea’s sanctions-evasion efforts. That includes targeting the Chinese individuals, banks and front companies that play a crucial role in enabling North Korea to evade sanctions. Recent disclosures show that from 2009 to
2017, North Korea used Chinese banks to process at least
$2.2 billion through the U.S. financial system. This is likely the tip of the iceberg.
Some policymakers argue that China is immune to pressure from abroad. Yet there are already strong indications that it will bend when facing the right kind of pressure. The Trump administration has no choice but to push harder.
Pyongyang ’s provocations deserve a tough response from Washington. Tougher rhetoric is a good start. But new, Iranstyle sanctions are needed and could represent the last peaceful means for coercing the Kim regime, and are for that reason indispensable.