“Not insane” via WikipediaNorth-Korea is moving very calculated and it is weird both the US and South-Korea do not treat it accordingly, says Shaun Rein in an analysis in Forbes.
Shaun Rein:
They are coolly calculated measures to gain power. If North Korea didn’t attack and appear crazy, no one would care about it, and it would become forgotten, similar to smaller countries like Laos. Instead Kim Jong Il plays the part of the loose cannon and thereby gains attention and clout for his country, pressures China to give more aid, and even gets visits from former American presidents like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, all of which makes him appear more powerful to North Korean citizens.
The West wrongly assumes North-Korea is insane, while they act pretty calculated, says Shaun Rein. But there are more myths on North-Korea:
The second myth is that the U.S. has the means to pressure China into forcing North Korea to stop its nuclear initiatives. If anything, the more frustrated America gets about North Korea, the better it is for the Chinese, because all that tension helps to create a buffer against American hegemony…
Finally, the third myth: Increased economic sanctions, as many are calling for now, will not cause the Kim regime to be more cooperative or be replaced. If anything, economic sanctions, though they further impoverish ordinary North Koreans, bolster the power of Kim and his close coterie of family and friends. Sanctions are a tenet of American diplomacy that should be shelved–permanently.
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 Shaun Rein by Fantake via Flickr |
Shaun Rein is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. When you need him at your meeting or conference, do get in touch.
