The Volokh Conspiracy - Test for Obama: US Tracking Probable North Korean Weapons Ship.

The Obama Administration responded to the North Korean provocations testing the resolve of our new president by supporting expanded UN embargoes on weapons shipments.

The US Navy is now tailing a North Korean ship suspected of transferring military weapons to Myanmar, which is also subject to embargoes:

MSNBC:

South Korea's YTN news network reported that a U.S. Navy destroyer was tailing a North Korean ship suspected of carrying missiles and related parts toward Myanmar in what could be the first test of new U.N. sanctions against the North over its recent nuclear test.

The sanctions toughen an earlier arms embargo against North Korea and authorize ship searches in an attempt to thwart its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. . . .

"This administration — and our military is fully prepared for any contingencies," Obama said Friday during an interview with CBS News' Harry Smith, to be broadcast Monday on "The Early Show."

"I don't want to speculate on hypotheticals," Obama said. "But I want ... to give assurances to the American people that the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted in terms of what might happen."

The North's cargo ship, Kang Nam, is expected to travel to Myanmar via Singapore, YTN said, citing an unidentified intelligence source in the South. Myanmar's military government, which faces an arms embargo from the United States and the European Union, has reportedly bought weapons from the North.

The ship is reportedly the first North Korean vessel to be tracked under the new U.N. sanctions.

Two U.S. officials said Thursday that the U.S. military had begun tracking the ship, which left a North Korean port Wednesday and was traveling off the coast of China.

One of the officials said it was uncertain what the Kang Nam was carrying, but that it had been involved in weapons proliferation before.

The embargoes would seem to require that the US inspect the ship before it reaches its destination. The Israeli website Debka.com speculates that Obama must do this to maintain credibility with the world.

Debka:

The UN Security Council resolution of Friday, June 12 mandated sanctions, approved at Washington's behest, that authorize UN member nations' naval vessels to stop and search North Korean ships suspected of carrying nuclear materials.

Pyongyang said this measure would be deemed an act of war on the Korean peninsula and draw a "thousand fold" military retaliation.

However, at stake for the United States is a far larger issue, DEBKA-Net-Weekly's Washington sources report: It relates to America's standing as the leading nuclear superpower and guardian of the global nuclear order. In this sense, the Korean crisis confronts Barack Obama with a supreme test as US president with major ramifications for the Iranian program.

This goes to the motivation behind Kim Jong-Il's nuke-rattling, his decisions not only to unveil the appointment of his 26-year old son Kim Jong-Un as his successor, but most of all to take the lead in creating a bloc of nations willing to shake the United States on this pedestal.

Obama's non-confrontational stance on the Iran crisis obliges him to apply muscle to the Security Council's sanctions against Pyongyang - or lay himself open to criticism for being soft on both nuclear rogue states. This would disarm in advance any penalties the UN might impose on Iran for its nuclear violations.

	[Jim Lindgren, June 23, 2009 at 11:51pm] Trackbacks Test for Obama: US Tracking Probable North Korean Weapons Ship. The Obama Administration responded to the North Korean provocations testing the resolve of our new president by supporting expanded UN embargoes on weapons shipments. The US Navy is now tailing a North Korean ship suspected of transferring military weapons to Myanmar, which is also subject to embargoes: MSNBC: South Korea's YTN news network reported that a U.S. Navy destroyer was tailing a North Korean ship suspected of carrying missiles and related parts toward Myanmar in what could be the first test of new U.N. sanctions against the North over its recent nuclear test. The sanctions toughen an earlier arms embargo against North Korea and authorize ship searches in an attempt to thwart its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. . . . "This administration — and our military is fully prepared for any contingencies," Obama said Friday during an interview with CBS News' Harry Smith, to be broadcast Monday on "The Early Show." "I don't want to speculate on hypotheticals," Obama said. "But I want ... to give assurances to the American people that the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted in terms of what might happen." The North's cargo ship, Kang Nam, is expected to travel to Myanmar via Singapore, YTN said, citing an unidentified intelligence source in the South. Myanmar's military government, which faces an arms embargo from the United States and the European Union, has reportedly bought weapons from the North. The ship is reportedly the first North Korean vessel to be tracked under the new U.N. sanctions. Two U.S. officials said Thursday that the U.S. military had begun tracking the ship, which left a North Korean port Wednesday and was traveling off the coast of China. One of the officials said it was uncertain what the Kang Nam was carrying, but that it had been involved in weapons proliferation before. The embargoes would seem to require that the US inspect the ship before it reaches its destination. The Israeli website Debka.com speculates that Obama must do this to maintain credibility with the world. Debka: The UN Security Council resolution of Friday, June 12 mandated sanctions, approved at Washington's behest, that authorize UN member nations' naval vessels to stop and search North Korean ships suspected of carrying nuclear materials. Pyongyang said this measure would be deemed an act of war on the Korean peninsula and draw a "thousand fold" military retaliation. However, at stake for the United States is a far larger issue, DEBKA-Net-Weekly's Washington sources report: It relates to America's standing as the leading nuclear superpower and guardian of the global nuclear order. In this sense, the Korean crisis confronts Barack Obama with a supreme test as US president with major ramifications for the Iranian program. This goes to the motivation behind Kim Jong-Il's nuke-rattling, his decisions not only to unveil the appointment of his 26-year old son Kim Jong-Un as his successor, but most of all to take the lead in creating a bloc of nations willing to shake the United States on this pedestal. Obama's non-confrontational stance on the Iran crisis obliges him to apply muscle to the Security Council's sanctions against Pyongyang - or lay himself open to criticism for being soft on both nuclear rogue states. This would disarm in advance any penalties the UN might impose on Iran for its nuclear violations.