Leaders of most countries would buckle under the weight of economic sanctions such as those the United Nations is preparing to implement against North Korea. If fully effective, the punitive steps could slash that nation’s exports by as much as one-third.

President Donald Trump and other U.S. leaders have hailed the sanctions plan as a path toward convincing North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to abandon his weapons buildup.

Some experts warn not to expect that to happen. Sanctions have not worked in the past against Kim or his predecessors, who happen to have been his father and grandfather.

Expanding and holding onto power are all that matter to Kim. He cares not what tragedies may befall the North Korean people as a result of the sanctions.

So what if starvation claims more North Koreans? As sad and sick as that sort of philosophy seems to us, it is how Kim thinks.

Outside the halls of power in Washington and other national capitals, no one knows whether countries threatened by Kim’s militarism have a backup plan for if — or rather, when — the sanctions fail. If not, one had better be put together within the next few months, when it may be needed badly.

— New Ulm Journal