Opinion | With John Bolton leading the charge against North Korea, the US would have no qualms about breaking international law at sea, or probably anywhere else

The US is frustrated by North Korea’s continuing violation of UN sanctions by using rogue vessels to import and export banned cargo, sometimes transferring the cargo at sea. So it wants to interdict suspect vessels on the high seas, using force if necessary. The problem is that doing so without the consent of the flag state would violate the international law of the sea. 

John Bolton, the US national security adviser, is taking the lead on this. He is well suited to the task. He seems to have little regard for international law that does not serve his interpretation of US interests. He apparently believes that US sovereignty and freedom of action are wrongly constrained by international law, multilateral organisations – especially the UN – and global treaties. To Bolton, these are political impediments to be ignored or reinterpreted as expedience dictates.

Indeed, Bolton has a long history of disregard for international law and the existing international order. He supported the invasion of Iraq, which many think was a blatant violation of international law and an unmitigated disaster for the US, Iraq and the region. He seems to favour abandoning the “one-China policy”, strengthening US-Taiwan relations and supporting the independence-leaning faction in Taiwan. His wholehearted support of Israel and antagonism towards Iran – if translated into action – are likely to upset the fragile political order in the Middle East.

Regarding North Korea, he advocated a pre-emptive strike, despite all the repercussions for the geopolitical and international order that might entail.

More recently, according to Jeong Se-hyun, South Korea’s former unification minister, Bolton may have played a major role in the failure of the US-North Korea summit in Hanoi, by advocating “moving the goalposts”.