The Futility of Sanctions
The U.S.'s immediate response to North Korea's fifth and largest successful nuclear test has been its usual one: threatening stricter sanctions, but a 2014 study published by George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs found that sanctions have little effect on the growth of North Korea's nuclear program, and in some cases have helped it grow.
Additionally, a UN panel found in February that many nations that sign on to UN sanctions of North Korea fail to follow through with them, most notably China, where a recent ABC News investigation found that security along the 870-mile-long border between the two countries is "minimal" and allows hundreds of trucks to pass through to North Korea unsearched.