Swift Discusses Trump’s New Executive Order on North Korea

Partner Christopher Swift was quoted in “Trump Takes Cue From Obama With North Korea Sanctions Tactic,” in TheStreet, about how President Trump’s recent executive order aligns with former administrations’ initiatives, including former President Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action against Iran. Trump’s executive order expands the Treasury Department’s ability to cut off foreign financial institutions’ access to the U.S. financial system if they facilitate trade with North Korea.

“Notwithstanding Trump’s rhetoric, [his executive order] is consistent with the kind of policies we would have seen the Bush administration or Obama administration implement when faced with similar circumstances,” Swift said.

Swift also predicted that Trump’s executive order would not be an effective tool as similar sanctions have been against Iran. “It is something that was relatively effective in getting Iran to the negotiating table, but North Korea has different incentives. The North Koreans look at the world in a different way. They don’t have the same kind of domestic and political structure that the Iranians have.”