It appears that the concern is mostly about the expectation that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will pursue his country's nuclear program. As Ahmadinejad has won the elections, harsh criticism and even threats of sanctions over this country's nuclear ambitions will definitely go on, and we'll continue blaming Ahmadinejad as if Mir Hossein Mousavi could have changed Iran's direction had he been elected.At this stage, we will ignore whether Iran's nuclear program is capable of building a bomb because there is another country where the situation is more or less clear, a country overlooked because of the Iranian elections. Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously decided to raise the level of sanctions against North Korea. The embargo on North Korea risks turning into a real blockade because of its nuclear efforts. Even countries like Russia and China, which are often accused of openly or secretly supporting the Pyongyang regime, voted in favor of the UN Security Council resolution. This decision proves that no one approves of North Korea's policy of tension any longer. This also constitutes a warning for Iran.
Right after the announcement of the UN's decision, North Korea reacted in a manner proving that this country's dictator is capable of all kinds of madness. The UN decided to try to inspect all ships carrying cargo to North Korea and confiscate equipment related to weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, a wider ban on North Korea's arms imports and exports has been put in place, and this country's overseas financial deals will be scrutinized. After hearing of these measures, the North Korean authorities promptly declared that tough countermeasures would be taken, including the use of nuclear weapons.
As a result of the nuclear tests conducted one after another, even China, which is traditionally very soft on North Korea, had to take a step back. Nevertheless, China insists that the UN sanctions should be applied without using force. We don't know exactly why China insists so much on that matter; however, we can highlight some risks in order to understand China's position.
Firstly, there is still an unanswered question: Why is it that everyone is so against North Korea being allowed to develop nuclear weapons while no one seems to be concerned about India or Israel's nuclear weapons. In brief, there isn't a convincing answer when North Korea accuses the UN of having a double standard. Secondly, there is no guarantee that coercive methods will be useful in North Korea's case because these apparently encourage this country to become more intransigent and warlike. Thirdly, these sanctions run the risk of provoking North Korea against the countries that implement these measures on the ground. For example, during the process of confiscation, the use of violence is highly likely because North Korea refuses to consent to these international controls, so it's obvious that it will resist somehow. Finally, if North Korea decides to react violently, no one can guarantee that it will use only its conventional weapons. North Korea has clearly declared that it will not abstain from using its nuclear capacity, even though it has not named target countries. This is probably a way of saying that anyone who puts pressure on Pyongyang should expect to receive a bomb and that North Korea considers every member of the UN Security Council a potential enemy. China is right: North Korea is perfectly capable of acting insanely.
