There are many online guides about moving to Qatar and settling in. Employers also often provide instructions and assessments. This is not a replacement for them but a supplement–filling in the gaps between the very basics (this is a country with its own laws and customs) and the legal essentials (here is how to get a residence permit/QID). Further, healthcare and education require their own discussion.

Instead, this guide presents advice about the small- and medium-sized issues of making the transition. It particularly focuses on the needs of Americans moving to Qatar, because that is what I know best.

Communications

You will need a phone number, a smart phone, and WhatsApp.

Phone number

Your phone number serves the same role as an email address does in the United States. On Day 1 (or no later than Day 2), you will need to have a Qatar phone number.

There are two vendors: Ooredoo and Vodafone. Either are acceptable. There are many locations for either company; pick one and stick with it. (It is slightly more convenient for everyone in a household to have the same vendor.)

Without a QID, all you can get is a prepaid plan (akin to a common arrangement in Europe and elsewhere). Once you have your QID, you can sign up for a postpaid plan (that is, US-style subscription). You should expect to change what you have after a few months. Start basic and then build.

To keep your US number, you should investigate a service such as Tello, which allows for number portability and even direct dialing when on WiFi to US numbers. You would want to make this switch beforehand. (I believe my Tello plan costs about $5/month to keep my phone number.)

Please note that your Qatar phone number might expire if you do not use it for six months (even if it has money on it). You need to make sure you use it at least once a month and keep the balance clear.

Smart phone

Almost everyone has a smart phone but it is very useful to have, not least because much of life here runs on apps. Don’t fuss about impressing anyone but this is a tough place to do dumb-phone minimalism in.

You will find it useful to have a phone that has two eSIM slots (are there phones that can do more? get those). Phones sold in Qatar are unlocked.

WhatsApp

You will want to have WhatsApp, which is widely used as a replacement for text messages and for communicating with businesses. You can have two WhatsApps per phone: one is the standard “personal” WhatsApp and the second is WhatsApp Business. I am not alone in using one for my US number and one for my Qatar number.

Note that delivery drivers will frequently use WhatsApp to ask for your location, so downloading and setting up your Qatar number WhatsApp is a day-one task as well.

Other apps

You may find Google Meet, Messenger, and Signal useful to have as well. Some apps (like FaceTime) are throttled, so alternatives are used frequently. You may also want to have a VPN installed and set up before you arrive in-country.

Post office (mail)

There is a postal service, which is pretty good, but there is no “mail delivery” akin to that in the USA. To receive mail directly from the USA (and 1975), you can get a post office box at QPost; the General Post Office is an architectural landmark and you will often be among the few customers enjoying it. FedEx, DHL, and others are more useful for deliveries more often; everyone does business with Aramex.

Shopping

The dream of the Nineties is alive in Qatar: mall culture is ubiquitous and prized. But malls aren’t the only way to shop.

Delivery apps

Delivery apps are ubiquitous; at times, it seems Qatar runs on delivery. You should expect to download and use at least two:

• Talabat: the most prominent
• Snoonu: the local alternative
• Keeta: a recent entrant

Between these three, practically all restaurants, grocery stores, and pharmacies are available. So too are many electronics stores and other retailers. (Many events have tickets available only by Snoonu.)

These are vibrant and important online marketplaces. Think of them as better versions of DoorDash and Amazon wrapped into one. It’s a great way to explore cuisines etc.

Talabat Mart and Snoonu Mart are not just convenience stores but closer to full-fledged grocery stores. They are lightning fast (I have started a recipe, noticed I needed something, and had it delivered by the time I got to that step).

Note, as I discuss below, that major hypermarkets also have delivery apps.

Hypermarkets

Hypermarkets (the US equivalent of Super Walmarts or large Targets) are the grocery store backbone of the area. You will probably end up using Lulu and Carrefour frequently. (These are both on delivery apps as well, but prices and selections will vary.) You can order ~everything from a grocery store and have them delivered–it is more convenient and not substantially more expensive.

Monoprix is upscale and has a wide variety of imported goods. Megamart is mid-tier but in my experience has an excellent array of US imports. Both are principally available in person but also have a presence on the delivery apps.

Carrefour is great for European basics. Lulu is strongly South Asian-influenced (although they also have liquid CoffeeMate), and so you can get eg superior delivered holiday feasts for Kerala. Visiting Lulu in-person is a cultural experience.

Please note that there are grocery chains beyond these, and you may find that a chain such as Al-Meera fits your needs better.

Clothing

There are numerous designer and fashion stores which need no introduction. Mid-market stores might be harder to suss out. Centrepoint is the approximate equivalent of Target; Matalan occupies a similar niche. Marks & Spencer aims a bit higher; think Macy’s. Next is a reliable mid-tier retailer, spanning Kohl’s and Macy’s. (Inevitably, many of these stores also have apps, and the apps may also unlock shipping from UAE and UK.)

Importing

Almost everything is available but some things are more expensive. You will probably want to build a stable of international retailers that can ship to Qatar, noting that you may sometimes owe customs and shipping. Among these are Amazon and Temu (very useful for basics). Always check if a retailer can ship directly to you; see Addresses below.

At times, however, you will need to ship through a forwarder. MyUS offers forwarding from the US and the UK; the UK is useful for European and other vendors, but also because Qatar uses UK-style electronics. Have retailers that do not offer direct shipping send to this. It is more expensive but brings you an entire world at your fingers.

Note that some retailers (Target) will not ship to a forwarding service. However, for purchasing e.g. US-layout computers, this can be very useful.

Freight forwarding will check for items not permitted to be imported into the state of Qatar.

When possible, of course, buy locally. Investigate local alternatives to international brands–often, you may be pleasantly surprised on value and quality.

Electronics and Online

The book selection in Qatar is limited. If you read, you will find having a Kindle or similar US-addressed device is useful; these are available in Qatar but it may be more useful to set it up before you arrive.

Some streaming services will block you based on actual location, so you may have to set up new accounts on e.g. Disney. For others, you may find that having a VPN loaded on a device such as an Apple TV may allow you to watch outlets with no MENA presence (Peacock, for instance).

Please note that there is a constant interplay between VPN providers and Internet providers in Qatar. You may find that having 1.1.1.1 and WARP is useful for setting some things up.

Bagels

The Camel, on Snoonu, and get the fancy cream cheeses.

Home Goods and Furniture

IKEA is here and is a must-stop for basics and even nicer furniture and home goods. Note that IKEA will deliver and assemble (the latter for a fee, but it is almost always–95%–worth it to pay the fee).

Home Centre, Homes R US and Home Box are reliable stops for furniture at the mid to lower-mid level. (There are many expensive places as well.)

If you like high quality bedding (but not custom silk sheets), sheets, pillows, towels, and other soft goods are probably best procured from retailers such as IKEA and Zara Home.

Note that landlords in furnished places will let you replace furniture but they prefer to replace furniture by room set (living room set, not couch, for instance). Contact your landlord before furniture arrives.

Note that there are frequent sales (especially around Ramadan); never be shy about asking for a discount. In general, always ask whether your employer has a discount available. (Never be shy).

Seasonal Goods

Decorations for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter are available but often described euphemistically (“spooky season” or “festive season”) on shopping apps. Some retailers may also have stock that is not available on the main floor.

Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys / meals can be gotten from IKEA (seriously). Time Out Doha and others (I Love Qatar) will have announcements about when and how to arrange this. I can vouch for meals from The Ned and from the Four Seasons. Ric’s Kountry Kitchen is also an option, although the ordering process is a little more involved. Frankly, it is probably better to hire this out for turkeys rather than try to arrange it yourself.

Online Presence

Instagram is a vital online platform for local shopping and is far more reliable than the Internet. I Love Qatar, for instance, is great to keep track of what is happening.

Qatar Living and Mzad remain leaders for classifieds, including for moving sales (useful!!) and personal services (occasional maids, e.g.). Facebook Marketplace may also be useful.

Getting Documents for Immigration

You may think you can handle getting documents such as birth certificates and marriage certificates on your own, especially if you are an American, but you probably shouldn’t bother; a service such as VitalChek is much more useful. Pay the money and avoid problems. Note that you do not know exactly what you need but they do. Always order at least one or two extra of whatever you get; you’re already paying the flat fee.

Do not assume you will get originals back, so don’t send your only copies.

Please note Qatar is not an apostille country so an apostille attestation is not sufficient. University registrars will be surprised at this but it is nevertheless true. You may not know what this means but if you don’t just insist to registrars that Qatar is not an apostille country so you will need a full duplicate diploma.

Householding

The water is safe to drink when it arrives at your house but the pipes in your compound/living unit may not be the best. Accordingly, bottled water is ubiquitous. You can order large (1.5+L) bottles at grocery stores while you determine if your water is good; if you decide not to, however, you should find a water service to deliver 5-gallon bottles (yes, sold by the gallon). Any is good; Safa has been easy to do business with. You will order a pack of prepaid coupons and exchange them for bottles; they will take away the empties. You can get a water dispenser from the company or buy one from Lulu or Carrefour; buy a mid-tier one (about 400-700 QAR).

Water is not fluoridated, so you may find a fluoride rinse very useful. Fluoride drops (imported from UK or elsewhere) are useful for children, especially small children. Fluoridated toothpaste is similarly recommended.

Practically everyone assumes you have help during the day, so you may find that delivery drivers will accept leaving things by the door but may also assume someone is always at home for receiving things.

Qatar is extremely family-friendly but extremely hot. There are several indoor playgrounds available; these are commercial and a little pricey but useful. You may find outlets such as Spark Sense and Play at Doha Festival City to be useful during the hot months (May – September).

Do not be at all shy about asking other parents and neighbors about how they have handled things like childcare during the summer months, but note that in many cases the answer will be that they rely on their helper during those periods. There are many summer camp options available from firms such as Redwood.

Qatar Living and other online platforms may help you find cleaning services and other personal services, even down to picture hanging (if you have a masonry home, you should not expect to have this be done easily). For cleaners, services such as Green Tara are useful, but you can also ask around. Cleaners may provide their own cleaning materials or you can provide; if you provide, it is cheaper but ask in advance what you should provide to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Pets

Do not attempt to move pets by yourself. Regulatory requirements are tough and logistics are complicated. Contact a specialist; I recommend Canadian Vet Hospital. Begin this process as early as possible.

Pet sitting services are not tremendously well developed (given the widespread reliance on household help), so you may want to find alternatives in advance. Look widely and ask around.

Please note that attitudes toward dogs vary widely. Dogs are not fondly regarded in Islamic societies, although many dog lovers can be found from any background. It is essential you be a responsible dog owner, so make sure you always have dog bags and do not let your pup investigate sensitive sites (mosques, eg). Separately, indoor cats are somewhat of a rarity (as opposed to indoor/outdoor cats) so always make clear people understand that your cat does not go outdoors, and expect to have to reiterate this point.

Wills, Trusts, and Civil Matters

Set up wills and trusts for survivorship before you move to Qatar. Qatar mirrors your home country’s legal framework so having things set out for survivors is important. Grim stuff, but arrange in advance with a lawyer. If you die and are the only residence permit/QID holder, your family may be dealing with both grief and moving quickly. Plan how to ensure that they also have access to money at that point (your attorney will understand what this means).

US Taxes and Finances

Do not assume you can do US taxes by yourself; go with the experts but also double-check to the extent you can.

Having a brokerage or retirement account may be complicated because of expat restrictions; you may need to convert your brokerage or other accounts to an expat status. The best time to set this up is before you become an expat.

Finances

You will likely want to have at least two banks: a home-country bank and a local bank. The easiest local option is whatever your employer recommends, at least to begin.

Your home-country credit cards may balk at being used abroad; however, using Apple Pay or Android Pay can avoid 99% of these problems. Still, having cash when you arrive is not a bad idea.

You will want a local credit and debit card.

Local means of transferring money, such as Fawran, are convenient, but have someone show you how to do this.

Many personal services run on cash. However, and annoyingly, ATMs love to give out 500-riyal notes, which many small businesses won’t accept for small bills. Petrol stations and major grocery stores are the best places to make smaller purchases to break these bills.

Transportation

Qatar is a car-based culture. The Metro is excellent and cheap but limited in its reach. However, car-sharing is widely available; Uber is the default (and is cheap and fast), while Karwa also has partisans.

Car-sharing during Ramadan can be an issue, as your trip home may coincide with iftar and you might be waiting a long time.

Car rental is common; I can recommend Strong and Oasis, but your employer may also have discounts. Assume you will change cars once or twice while you are figuring things out.

If you will be living in Qatar year-round, buying may make better sense. Toyotas are widely used, as are Kias; US brands are rarer and skew high-priced and pickup. Mitsubishis are an excellent value option in the Japanese segment. Chinese cars are coming up in the world, although the specific lineups change; for now, I recommend them as fine to rent but ownership may have different considerations (resale, maintenance, etc); it is impossible to give advice about what manufacturers will be reliable. The used market is vibrant but may be difficult to deal with if you are unsure of quality.

Petrol stations are widely available and cheap but can be cumbersome to get to. Electric cars are increasingly visible; BYD is a solid choice by all indications, although Tesla is also a good option locally.

Google Maps sucks for driving direction; an alternative is Waze.

Car seat culture is not widely shared but if you will be using car seats please note that belt-based car seats may face challenges. Assume latch systems are available but also bring an adapter if you will be bringing seat belt-based systems.

Americans moving to Qatar on work visas cannot use their international driver’s license and cannot transfer their driver’s license directly, so assume that, until you get a driver’s license, you will be doing a lot of Ubering. However, spouses and others on, say, tourist visas can drive.

Do not drink and drive, or even drive within a long period after drinking. Period. Every caution about drinking and driving in other countries extends to this but Qatar treats this seriously (the correct public policy imo).

Religion

Church City (formally, the Religious Complex) in the south of Doha is a sprawling complex with dozens of denominations. (They are slightly light on mainstream US Protestant denominations.) Visiting on Friday, which is the major worship day for Christians as well, is an experience and a half.

Are you using the standard JavaScript code written by Thomas Leeper (Git) in your conjoint project? Wondering why your traits1a variable is no longer storing the piped traits? The answer is straightforward. You need to change your embedded variable names and the command you’re using in JavaScript to save the traits. (Here’s the random forum post that helped me understand this; apparently, it has to do with the migration to Simple, but maybe it’s deeper. User Tom_1842, you da real one.)

First, your traits embedded variables need to have this prefix (no quotes): “__js_”.

Second, you need to change your code block:

Qualtrics.SurveyEngine.setEmbeddedData('traits1a', traits_a.join("|"));
Qualtrics.SurveyEngine.setEmbeddedData('traits1b', traits_b.join("|"));

To instead be

Qualtrics.SurveyEngine.setJSEmbeddedData('traits1a', traits_a.join("|"));
Qualtrics.SurveyEngine.setJSEmbeddedData('traits1b', traits_b.join("|"));

In this post, I’ll lay out the basics of how to create a curated Bluesky feed–that is, a feed for a list of approved posters, like the Polisky feed. With a couple of deletions, this is also a guide to how to create an uncurated Bluesky feed, although given the nature of the site this is not an appropriate solution for all users.

This is not difficult, but it is just a little intimidating at first.

Continue reading “The Moderately Skilled Person’s Guide to Making a Bluesky Feed”

Attention conservation notice: If you’re a political scientist or IR scholar on Bluesky,

1. Like (and pin) the Political Science feed to make it easier to find relevant content.
2. Tag @profmusgrave.bsky.social in a post asking to be added to the Polisky list (make sure your bio has something to do with political science or IR). When you’re added, your request will be “liked” (no further announcement needed!)
3. Update your settings to show posts from your feeds in your home feed.

What’s Bluesky?

Bluesky is a new, so far invitation-only social media network that functions a lot like pre-Musk Twitter. There are some key differences, however. For one, there aren’t (yet!) hashtags in the same way Twitter had them (although, notably, Twitter didn’t have hashtags at the beginning, either). This means that organizing posts takes place via feeds.

Feeds offer some of the same functionalities as hashtags, lists, or communities. A feed is simply a curated list of posts on Bluesky. The curation can be done fully openly, as with a feed that searches for any keywords and automatically indexes them. (This can approximate hashtag behavior and some feeds are keyed to hashtag-looking keywords, like #LandBack.) Feeds can also display all posts from some users or some posts from a pre-screened list of users. There are other varieties, too, but these are the ones most relevant to us right now.

The purpose of a feed is to make it easier to find information in the jumble of Bluesky. Posting privileges means that a user can choose to broadcast a post to the feed, where it may have greater reach than on the user’s timeline alone and where it will also be easier to find than on the main timeline.

What’s Polisky?

Polisky is a feed in Bluesky. It is also, as of this writing, one of the largest science communities and one of the very largest feeds on Bluesky altogether, although I do not expect either of those distinctions to endure forever.

Polisky is the political science feed for Bluesky. More accurately, it is a feed about academic political science and related topics comprised of user-nominated posts from a closed list of political scientists, international relations scholars, journalists, think tankers, and associated others.

To post, users must be added to the confusingly-named mute list “PoliSci List”. (Mute lists are, so far, the only way in Bluesky to organize large lists of users; their original function was to share lists of users to be muted, but feed organizers also use them to create lists of users to populate feeds. It’s not confusing at all if you ignore the technical name.)

The list is maintained by me. It is open to anyone within those broad, if subjective, parameters, including faculty, Ph.D. students, and so on.

Polisky is not just an attempt to provide a replacement for hashtags: it’s an effort to democratize the discovery and promotion of academics, experts, and work relevant to that community. If you’re a member of Polisky, you can reach a much larger audience than your follower list alone. The core principle of Polisky is that your follower count shouldn’t determine your ability to reach the discipline.

You may be wondering why there is an approval list for people to post to Polisky. In that case, you are probably new to Bluesky. (What does he mean by that? you wonder. It means you are probably new to Bluesky.)

What’s on Polisky?

Polisky only displays posts (not replies!) that users on the list have marked with “polisci”, “polisky”, or the globe emoji ???? . That means it is not a feed of everything that people on the list say, but it is a feed of everything that one of the users with posting privileges has tagged with one of those phrases. Those posts can include users talking about their own or others’ works, or it can include relevant posts by other users that a poster has quote-posted with one of the keywords. (By the way, it can take two to five minutes for a post to appear, so don’t expect it to appear instantaneously.)

How do I Join Polisky?

Anyone can like and follow the Political Science feed–unlike Twitter communities, these are not closed.

Being added to the list does grant permission to post to the feed, but to follow the feed requires liking (pressing the heart icon for) the Political Science feed itself. Liking the feed adds it to the “My Feeds” section of Bluesky (app or Desktop). The next level up is to pin the feed, which makes it easier to find within the My Feeds section.

How do I Use Polisky?

A good way to use Polisky is to follow the feed and see what’s happening. The best way is to contribute to Polisky and its subfeeds.

You might be wondering: is it rude to share your own work to polisky? Absolutely not. Self-promotion is encouraged. As Rabbi Hillel never said, if you are not for your work, who will be for your work? Promote! And if someone else’s work is relevant, promote that too. Aside from usual norms against hate-criming and other abuses, the only thing that would be discouraged would be overly monetizing behavior–but book promotion is okay as long as it’s not spam.

Other Feeds and Subfeeds

Polisky is for a broad audience, but you don’t always want to communicate with such a broad audience–or sometimes you want to communicate with different audiences.

Professor Tim Ruback and Maaike Verbruggen have collected a list of political science expanded universe feeds and subfeeds. (Thanks, folks!!) Some of these are feeds in their own right; some are Polisky subfeeds. (A subfeed is something that uses the same closed list as Polisky.) Check this out! You might find that you want to get active in the Authoritarian Regimes feed or in the Visual International Relations subfeed.

Can I Make My Own Feeds?

Yes! See this explainer.

How Can I Use the Feeds Most Effectively?

To see what’s in your feeds, go to the # (hashtag) icon in the app / desktop version of Bluesky. (If you’re using other apps to access this, I’m going to assume you’re technically competent enough to figure out the corresponding steps.) This will bring up a list of the feeds you’ve liked:

It’s a good idea to check in on your feeds every once in a while. To do that, just click on the feed and you’ll be taken to a page showing all the most recent posts.

Of course, people get lazy and want material delivered to them. (Don’t we all!) That’s why it’s a good idea to change your settings so that posts from the feeds to which you’ve subscribed show up in your home feed. To do this, go to settings (the gearbox icon) and then click “Home Feed Preferences”.

Once you’ve done that, a new menu will show up with ways to customize your home feeds. Scroll to the bottom and hit the toggle for “Show Posts from My Feeds” to set it to “Yes”. (I make no recommendations regarding the other settings I’m showing here.)

Finally, if you’re really into a feed, go to its page and hit the “Pin” button.

Doing this will add the feed to the top of your home feed as a tab that you can access quickly.

(What is “yak shaving“?)

I needed to add plots to a final draft of an article that my co-author had just finished revising. Most of the plots were pre-made but two of them were new–just minor changes to existing work.

Normally, I would fire up my laptop to do this. That’s where I do most of my work in R. But earlier this morning I had installed a new battery on the mid-2012 MacBook Pro workhorse, and that meant it has to go through a power calibration cycle, so it was unavailable for service.

I turned instead to the small auxiliary laptop I use for presentations. I adjusted the code. Then I went to run it …

… and the small auxiliary laptop didn’t have the new package I use for this project now.

I downloaded it…but it didn’t run on the version of R installed on that machine.

I updated R…and then had to re-install all of the packages. Including packages to load older versions of other packages that work better than the current version.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Office decided that everything needed to be updated.

All of this led the computer to crash. But at least I have new versions of all the tools that I need to start the one simple line of code….

So if you ever wonder “but how did that take so long?” remember: it’s the yak’s fault.

I’m pleased to share my foreign policy syllabus.

USFP 2018 01 Spring Syllabus 2018 01 19 Web by Paul Musgrave on Scribd

A reader writes:

I read your opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune entitled “Trump has no secret agenda – WYSIWYG” I did not understand one sentence of the piece, “So does his proud assumption of the motto “America First,” a slogan with anti-Semitic overtones.” I have lived all of my life in small-town Illinois and Iowa and have never associated the phrase “America First” with with anything other than the statement that America’s interest should be placed first ahead of other interests. Would you please explain to me how or why that phrase is anti-Semitic in any way. Perhaps there is a regional meaning with which I am unfamiliar. I would appreciate a reply to my question. Thank you.

This is a point that’s relatively well established. Here are some links:

• The Los Angeles Times
• The Atlantic
• The Forward

(The original The Washington Post version had a link to one of these, which might have helped!)

The font of all knowledge has a quick guide to current UNSC resolutions sanctioning the DPRK.

August 2017: Resolution 2371 (2017)

Passed in response to July 2017 DPRK ICBM tests.

Included:

• ban on coal exports as  well as iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood
• restricted DPRK financial institutions from access to international financial system
• prohibited joint ventures with other countries
• banned additional DPRK laborers from being sent abroad

U.S. statement:

• “the strongest sanctions ever imposed in response to a ballistic missile test” (“Fact Sheet“)
• “the days of talking were over and it was time to act” (Ambassador Nikki Haley)
  • “The most stringent set of sanctions on any country in a generation”
  • “These sanctions will cut deep, and in doing so, will give the North Korean leadership a taste of the deprivation they have chosen to inflict on the North Korean people.”
• President Trump told reporters that North Korea will be “met with fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before”
• Tillerson compliments DPRK on two weeks of restraint

North Korea response:

• “ready to ruthlessly take strategic measures involving physical actions by fully mobilizing our national power” (Yonhap)

September 2017: Resolution 2375 (2017)

Response to the North Korean nuclear test of September 2, 2017.

Included:

• annual cap of 2MMbbl/yr of all refined petroleum products (of stated 4.5MMbbl/yr annual consumption) (Fact Sheet)
• freezes crude oil
• bans supply of LNG
• bans DPRK textile exports
• slow ban on DPRK export lbaorers

U.S. statement:

• “the strongest sanctions ever imposed on North Korea” (Fact Sheet)
• “We are done trying to prod the regime to do the right thing. We are now acting to stop it from having the ability to continue doing the wrong thing. We are doing that by hitting North Korea’s ability to fuel and fund its weapons program. Oil is the lifeblood of North Korea’s effort to build and deliver a nuclear weapon. Today’s resolution reduces almost 30 percent of oil provided to North Korea by cutting off over 55 percent of its gas, diesel, and heavy fuel oil. Further, today’s resolution completely bans natural gas and other oil byproducts that could be used as substitutes for the reduced petroleum. This will cut deep.” (Ambassador Nikki Haley)
• Trump calls DPRK leader Kim a “madman” (Twitter) and “Rocket Man” (UN speech):
  • “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary. That’s what the United Nations is all about; that’s what the United Nations is for. Let’s see how they do.”

DPRK reaction

• Kim terms Trump a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard” and vows “highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history”

December 2017: Resolution 2397 (2017)

In response to November ICBM test by DPRK

Includes

• restriction on 2375 cap to 500Kbbl/yr of refined petroleum products (compared to stated 2016 levels of 4.5MM bbl/yr) (Fact Sheet)
• freezes crude oil exports at 4MM bbl/year
• Requires countries to expel DPRK laborers by end of 2019
• Completes sanctions on food, agricultural products, etc.
• Bans DPRK imports of heavy machinery, industrial equipment, etc

US statement

• “we have leveled an unprecedented response.” (Ambassador Nikki Haley)
  • “This resolution ratchets up the pressure on North Korea even further, building on our last resolution, which included the strongest sanctions ever imposed on them. Those sanctions fully banned textile exports from North Korea. They banned all joint ventures and all new work permits for overseas North Korean laborers. And, critical to the regime’s ability to develop its nuclear and missile programs, the previous resolution cut off 55 percent of refined petroleum products going to North Korea. Today, we cut deeper.”

 

North Korea reaction:

• “an act of war” (Slate)
• avenge itself against those who voted for the resolution (Bloomberg)