Sometimes watching international affairs resembles being a spectator at a tennis match. The head swivels rapidly, first to the left, then to the right. That's been the case the past few days as the United Nations wrestled with the idea of sanctions against North Korea.
First the United States sought severe sanctions against the rogue regime after its underground test of a nuclear weapon. China and Russia balked, and a watered down version was ultimately passed by the U.N. Security Council. Then on Saturday, China said it had no intention of actually stopping trucks and ships bound for North Korea.
Japan and Australia, meanwhile, decided to go even farther with sanctions than the U.N. envisioned. And today, China did start inspecting cargo headed across its border.
This is a test for the United Nations -- the latest in a long line. It's critics sneer at its ineffectiveness, often with good reason, and its supporters, often in exasperation, hope for better. The stakes are high this time -- the thought of nuclear weapons in the hands of a megalomaniacal lunatic like North Korea's Kim Jong-il is frightening.
We can sneer all we want at the U.N. But if we don't have a U.N., what else is there? What is needed is more international cooperation, not less.
n.korea has been nuclear long time.......see doonesburry.