# So, say that North Korea actually carries out its nuclear threat

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-say-that-north-korea-actually-carries-out-its-nuclear-threat/748177>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 7, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-say-that-north-korea-actually-carries-out-its-nuclear-threat/748177 "2016-03-07T04:54:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 7

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**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-say-that-north-korea-actually-carries-out-its-nuclear-threat/748177/121 "2016-03-30T14:01:25Z")

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> [@clairobscur](#):
>
> No. Countries are subject to international law, whether or not they signed a treaty.

Time and again it has been shown that international law only applies to the loser.

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**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-say-that-north-korea-actually-carries-out-its-nuclear-threat/748177/122 "2016-03-30T15:33:56Z")

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> [@coremelt](#):
>
> They’ve lost the support of China. This has never happened before.  
> [Why China Supports New Sanctions Against North Korea : Parallels : NPR](http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/03/18/470956712/why-china-supports-new-sanctions-against-north-korea)
> 
> They’ve even seized North Korean boats that were docked in Chinese ports. China might relent and lift the sanctions but if they don’t then I can’t see how NK can survive.

When have international sanctions ever worked?

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**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-say-that-north-korea-actually-carries-out-its-nuclear-threat/748177/123 "2016-03-30T15:43:24Z")

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> [@drewder](#):
>
> When have international sanctions ever worked?

Sanctions alone didn’t bring down apartheid in South Africa, but they helped.

Both South Korea and Taiwan were successfully discouraged from building nuclear weapons in the 1970s.

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**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-say-that-north-korea-actually-carries-out-its-nuclear-threat/748177/124 "2016-03-30T15:45:03Z")

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> [@Peremensoe](#):
>
> Both South Korea and Taiwan were successfully discouraged from building nuclear weapons in the 1970s.

Yes but they had more incentive to comply.

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