ABSTRACT
Until 2007, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was pursuing a nuclear capability with North Korean help. The plutonium-production reactor at Al-Kibar was nearing operational readiness when it was bombed by Israel. Weapons of mass destruction (WMD)- and missile-related items may be the most concerning articles in North Korea's defence export catalogue, but its conventional wares and weapons-related services have larger available markets and are problematic in their own right. The development of norms against the proliferation of WMD and delivery-vehicle technology, and against North Korea as a defence supplier, has made marketing arms even harder for Pyongyang. Whether resilient, reluctant or ad hoc, all types of customers merit appropriately 'tailored' attention from active sanctions implementers. National governments, especially the US, will inevitably balance their need to bring the targeted country into compliance with sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) with other bilateral political or security considerations.
