Korean Nukes and Sanctions in the Council - S/RES/1718 (2006)

S/RES/1718 (2006) was written in the context of the test of a nuclear weapon by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and as such contains a considerable imposing language towards the test, but with little change of the status quo. The tone of the resolution calls for a return to the level of negotiations that existed before the nuclear test, with calls for return to the NPT, six-party talks. There is the establishment of Sanctions Committee and some punitive elements, but the main elements relate to the return to the previous negotiations that were taking place.

Let's Renew Some More - 1977 (2011)

S/RES/1977 follows the line of the previous resolutions that renewed the 1540 Committee mandate and also S/RES/1540 itself. There is the same reaffirmation that proliferation is a threat to international peace and security and it is also acting under Chapter VII. It is followed by the threat of appropriate and effective actions in accordance to the UN Charter, while reaffirming that peaceful pursuits of material related to WMDs should still take place and the consideration that the obligations of these resolutions do not alter the obligations under previous multilateral treaties that address the same issue areas. There is a stress on the need for all Member States to comply to their already established obligations under international commitments related to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. A clause that only tries to call attention to the previous commitments, including their own resolutions and efforts. There a different clause in the preamble stating the concern of the Council when it comes to the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and its means of delivery by non state actors, in association with terrorism. This is one of the most explicit time that the linkage between the non-proliferation efforts and terrorism is made in the resolutions related to S/RES/1540. The preamble also passes by the issues of international cooperation and coordination as means to halt challenges such as illicit trafficking and established legislation related to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Creating a Bureaucracy - 1540 (2004)

In short, the resolution 1540 (2004) created a new bureaucracy to deal with issues related to non-proliferation of all weapons of mass destruction. This bureaucracy is now know as the 1540 Committee and it operates under the authority of the United Nation Security Council, as some sanctions committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee. As they put it in the forth operative clause: “Decides to establish, in accordance with rule 28 of its provisional rules of procedure, for a period of no longer than two years, a Committee of the Security Council, consisting of all members of the Council, which will, calling as appropriate on other expertise, report to the Security Council for its examination, on the implementation of this resolution”. This being the main action, there are still important elements that complement this resolution and its impacts on the current efforts of non-proliferation.