North Korean leader playing a dangerous game — again
While world leaders work on a response to North Korea’s latest outrage — Monday’s underground nuclear test — the complicating factor is, as always, the country’s deranged leader, Kim Jong-Il.
With no clear answer for why dictator Kim chose this particular moment to further alienate the international community, his addiction to pornography makes for some interesting theories.
Indeed, there may not only be a psychological link between Kim’s choice of entertainment and his erratic behavior, but western intelligence agencies may want to look for ways to exploit his addiction.
After all, nothing else seems to work. Not only did Kim disregard world opinion with the nuclear test — a 2006 United Nations resolution banned the regime from developing nuclear weapons — he thumbed his nose at his chief ally, China, by testing short-range missiles.
The message from Pyongyang: North Korea will have nuclear arms, and will be able to deliver them at will.
On Wednesday, the Communist regime threatened military action against U.S. and South Korean warships plying the waters near the Koreas’ disputed maritime border, raising the specter of a naval clash.
Pyongyang, reacting angrily to Seoul’s decision to join an international program to intercept ships suspected of aiding nuclear proliferation, called the move tantamount to a declaration of war.
The North Korean army called it a violation of the armistice the two Koreas signed in 1953 to end their three-year war, and said it would no longer honor the treaty.
Since when has Kim honored any treaties?
Economic collapse
There is nothing to suggest that Kim is developing these weapons of mass destruction for defensive purposes. After all, there is not much to defend. His country has collapsed economically, there is widespread starvation and his dictatorial rule has broken the spirit of North Koreans.
China and Russia, which have traditionally supported North Korea, this week joined other members of the U.N. Security Council in condemning the underground nuclear test and missile launches.
The two countries, which have benefitted greatly from western-style capitalism, aren’t about to alienate their trading partners by supporting a mentally unstable leader.
But because of the relationship, President Barack Obama, who strongly condemned the nuclear testing, is leaving if up to China and Russia to take the lead in coming up with a response to Kim’s belligerent behavior.
Of course, China is in the untenable position of sharing a border with North Korea and, thus, cannot risk political upheaval in that country.
Indeed, it has been suggested that one of the reasons for Kim’s actions is his desire to pave the way for a son to succeed him as leader. Showing the citizens of North Korea that he can stand up to the United States and other major powers is designed to not only legitimize his position, but to convince the populace that his offspring have inherited his genes.
Another explanation for his seemingly reckless behavior is that he is trying to use his nation’s nuclear capabilities as blackmail. North Korea, unlike the economically successful, democratic South Korea, does not have the basic economic tools to produce food in the quantities needed to feed the population and to develop businesses and industries to make the country less dependant on handouts from China and even western nations that Kim so often lambastes and accuses of undermining his nation.
The widespread condemnation of Monday’s test was the easy part. The much more difficult challenge is to find a solution for what ails North Korea — its leader, Kim Jong-Il.