HCRI Seminar: Out of sight, out of mind, out of bounds - The Failure of Maritime Sanctions Enforcement against North Korea
| Dates: | 22 February 2017 |
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| Times: | 15:00 - 17:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Arts, Languages and Cultures |
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| How much: | Free |
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For this HCRI Seminar we will be joined by Bob Huish, Associate Professor in International Development Studies at Dalhousie University, and the Ron Lister Fellow in the Department of Geography at the University of Otago. He is the recipient of a 2015 Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in Canada. Dr. Huish’s research includes several areas of Geography and International Development Studies related to health, social justice, and human rights. Author of two books, as well as 33 articles and book chapters, his current research looks at human rights abuses and the refugee crisis within North Korea. In 2015 as part of an undergraduate class at Dalhousie University, Dr. Huish’s students worked to rescue a North Korean refugee from the regime, and bring her to safety in South Korea.
Outline of Seminar
Any country that spends over 25% of its Gross Domestic Product on advancing nuclear weapons, that produces the most crystal methamphetamine in the world, and that locks up 200,000 of its own citizens in political prison camps, would rightly deserve stern reprimand by the international community. Yet North Korea, famous for all of this, is often served sanctions as a tactic of punishment for behaviour change. In this talk, Bob Huish argues that sanctions against North Korea are futile and have no effect on changing the behaviour of Kim Jong Un’s regime, or in improving human rights in the country, as current sanctions do not target broader networks of financial capital that support the regime. What’s more, there is little political appetite to enforce sanctions against the regime when individuals violate them. Using Marine Traffic AIS software, Dr. Huish exposes a shadowy network of vessel traffic entering the Kim Regime in clear violation of financial measures. Referencing the owners and operators of these vessels shows deep connections to business interests nested in offshore shell companies. Discussing sanctions theory, and drawing on references from the Cuban embargo, a rigorous and often well-enforced policy, Dr. Huish argues that poor sanction policy against North reflects a deeper paucity of scholarly knowledge about the regime, its intentions, and the political will to engage the Kim Regime.
This seminar is primary aimed at HCRI students. If you are not a HCRI student you are welcome to attend but please email the organiser Birte Vogel (birte.vogel@manchester.ac.uk)
Travel and Contact Information
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Room 6.210
University Place
Manchester
