Archive for the 'Other Regimes' Category

Speaking of Romania…

Published
by
Jack
on May 7, 2008
in Communism, Defectors, History, Humanitarian Topic, Juche Idea, North Korea and Other Regimes
. 6 Comments

While I have been on the subject of Romania, news of a dissident named Monica Lovinescu who risked her life and was almost killed during Nicolae’s rule died April 21, 2008 at the age of 85 (International Herald Tribune). The entire article is a very good read, so make sure to read the whole thing.

A commentary of Monica Lovinescu on Radio Free Europe.

I never heard of her until a few days ago, but her story is very gripping and how the voices of freedom are directly threatened by a repressive regime. She was not alone. According to the video posted a few moments ago, that tells tales of North Korean defectors and human rights advocates risking life getting information to North Koreans. It is almost a certainty other dissidents from other countries had the same fears or even died from speaking out inside and outside. Monica Lovinescu, despite the attempt on her life and being in a come got back on her feet and continued to pierce the iron curtain inside Nicolae Ceausescu’s state. According to International Herald Tribune:

Romanian philosopher Gabriel Liiceanu has said he was told by a senior intelligence officer that her broadcasts angered Ceausescu so much that in 1977 he told Romania’s secret service: “Let’s shut her up! Let’s break her into pieces! Let’s break her teeth, jaw and break her hands so she can never write or speak again.”

Later that year, Lovinescu was severely beaten in front of her home in Paris, leaving her in a coma with head injuries. Ion Pacepa, who served as deputy head of foreign intelligence under Ceausescu before defecting in 1978, has said the beating was carried out by two men acting on Ceausescu’s orders. Lovinescu later recovered and returned to broadcasting for Radio Free Europe.

Ceausescu was overthrown and executed in 1989, and Lovinescu continued her work with Radio Free Europe until 1992.

Emphasis mine. What does this have to do with North Korea? Much like old communist Romania, it was those who risked life for the sake of freedom for others who changed everything. Much like CNN’s documentary, they discuss those sending information in, and those sending information out. With the war of the words, telling people inside things can get better if they work together for a common good can bring even the most hard-line of dictators down. People like Monica Lovinescu were instrumental in that fight even if it takes a really long time for results to appear. Eventually, people got the courage to stand up and make real change. This led to the only violent end to a leader during the breakup of the communist rule in Eastern Europe.

Communist Romania’s end gives me great hope that it does not necessarily need outside intervention to finally bring an end to Kim Jong Il’s crumbling state. It is my belief with enough poverty, repression, starvation and abuse people will not take it anymore. When the army finally turned the guns on the dictator, it was all over. While nobody knows when and how North Korea will end, the end is inevitable. As I said before, the cracks are showing, and it is only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down.

As said before, I think a lot can be learned from the former regimes that are now long gone, and not just Romania. If we look to other uprisings and change (no, not Barack Obama style, thank you) maybe it can inspire those inside toiling under the iron grip of a repressive ruler with the help of strong voices that truly care for them. North Korea may be the biggest challenge yet, but with enough work, determination, love and perseverance, people can look forward to a better life away from Juche.

What will it take? People disagree on the methodology employed to make change whether it is forceful change, engagement, pressure, sanctions or whatever, one thing is certain. Normal people help bring that change. Even after the North Korean state is gone, it will take a long time and a lot of work to eventually bring reunification. We may well be in the beginnings of that, and perhaps the truth will come to light.

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No protests in Pyongyang leg of the Olympic torch relay? Who knew!

Published
by
Jack
on April 28, 2008
in Diplomacy, News, North Korea, Other Regimes and ROK
. 2 Comments

Also see ROK Drop, One Free Korea, and Marmots.

Protest is not in the North Korean dictionary, and the headline produced by the Associated Press made me laugh out loud.

North Korea’s first torch runner Pak Du Ik, carrying the Olympic torch, sets out for a relay through the streets of Pyongyang, at a ceremony held at the capital’s Tower of the Juche Idea on Monday April 28, 2008. The Olympic torch launched its first-ever run Monday in authoritarian North Korea, where the flame was assured of a trouble-free trip unlike other stops worldwide.

Emphasis mine. This is news of the century and is fit to be printed worldwide. North Korea does not have protests! It is amazing! It is unbelievable! Oh wait a moment; it is obvious as the sun rising in the morning. While the news of the Olympic torch relay is the first ever for North Korea, it is strictly controlled. Yawn, what a surprise.

[...]

An attentive and peaceful crowd of thousands watched the start of the relay in Pyongyang, some waving Chinese flags, in live footage from broadcaster APTN. The event was presided over by the head of the country’s rubber-stamp parliament who often acts as a ceremonial state leader, Kim Yong Nam.

Hm, they better be attentive and peaceful or face the wrath. There is no choice, no dissent, no protest, no wavering. Everything in North Korea is well on message and again is no surprise. if it were any different, it would be real news.

The North, an ally of its communist neighbor China, has been critical of disruptions to the torch relay elsewhere and has supported Beijing in its crackdown against violent protests in Tibet. North Korea is one of the world’s most tightly controlled countries, where citizens are not allowed to travel freely and civil rights are restricted by the iron-fisted regime.

Yawn again. Maybe the bigger news was Kim Jong Il was not seen at the event. Then again, maybe it is not such huge news because Kim Jong Il does not really care. The Juche Tower is probably the biggest news of all. I mean that place is almost as sacred as Kim Il Sung Square.

The relay began from beneath the large sculpted flame that tops the obelisk of the Juche Tower, which commemorates the national ideology of “self-reliance” created by the country’s late founding President Kim Il Sung, father of current leader Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong Il was not seen at the event.

He must of been watching it on TV or surfing the Internet. An interesting part of this story is this:

The U.N. children’s agency UNICEF had been asked to participate in the North Korean leg of the relay but withdrew in March, saying that it wasn’t sure the event would help its mission of raising awareness of conditions for children.

Why would they be asked to participate in the first place? Reading this report by Reuters gave some indication on why they were asked in the first place:

UNICEF had been asked to participate in the Pyongyang leg of the relay by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which said that North Korea had been “unable to identify a Korean national” to take part in the run, de Bono said.

According to the Sunday Times of London, the newspaper that first reported the news of UNICEF’s decision, there were concerns that the relay would be used by Pyongyang as a “propaganda stunt” in the reclusive communist state.

I have to agree it would have been used for propaganda, and I believe it would have been better just to stay the hell out of it because going to a relay in North Korea is not going to raise awareness for the plight of children in the DPRK. In fact, why would the DPRK even allow them to show up on that basis? It sounds absurd to me. At the end of the day, UNICEF can be there, but the children are still starving. A torch is not going to help them at all. While no protests happened in the DPRK, protests happened in the ROK:

On Sunday, clashes broke out in Seoul near the relay start between a group of 500 Chinese supporters and about 50 demonstrators criticizing Beijing’s policies, carrying a banner reading, “Free North Korean refugees in China.” The students threw stones and water bottles as some 2,500 police tried to keep the two sides apart.

One Chinese student swatted at the demonstrators with a flagpole. Another student was arrested for allegedly throwing rocks, police said.

Sounds pretty bad, and does not look very good either. North Korea will not have any of that. After all, they are friends. What a bore.

Police said four other people were arrested for trying to disrupt the relay

Authorities deployed some 8,000 police — some riding horses and bicycles — to protect the torch.

One North Korean defector poured gasoline on himself in the middle of a street along the route and tried to set himself on fire, but police quickly surrounded him and carried him away. The man, 45-year-old Son Jong Hoon, had led an unsuccessful public campaign to save his brother from execution in the North, where he was accused of spying after the two met secretly in China.

South Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon expressed strong regret over the clashes in a meeting Monday with China’s ambassador to Seoul, Ning Fukui.

Ning also said he regretted the “extreme behavior” by some young Chinese and expressed his sympathies to police and a journalist who was injured, the South’s Foreign Ministry said.

In all- what a mess, and in the end, fruitless.

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CIA report on the North Korea/Syrian connection (Update 3)

Published
by
Jack
on April 24, 2008
in News, North Korea, Nukes, Other Regimes and Video
. 0 Comments

This is all over the news, so there is not a lot for me to add. Here is a report by the AP:

The rebuttal from Al-Jazeera:

Timeline from AP:

Timeline of North Korea’s nuclear weapons activities:

_ 1994: North Korea and the United States sign an agreement under which the North shuts down its plutonium-based nuclear reactor in exchange for help building two “light water” nuclear reactors for producing electricity.

_ Sept. 17, 1999: President Clinton agrees to first major easing of economic sanctions against North Korea since the Korean War’s end in 1953.

_ Jan. 29, 2002: President Bush labels North Korea, Iran and Iraq an “axis of evil.”

_ Oct. 4, 2002: North Korea tells visiting U.S. delegation it has a uranium enrichment program, Washington says.

_ Nov. 21, 2002: U.S.-led consortium says it is suspending construction of light water reactors.

_ Dec. 28, 2002: North Korea orders U.N. nuclear inspectors to leave the country.

_ Jan. 11, 2003: North Korea withdraws from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

_ Feb. 26, 2003: North Korea is reported to have restarted Yongbyon reactor, which U.S. officials say was designed to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons but which North Korea maintains is for energy production.

_ Aug. 27-29, 2003: North Korea joins first round of six-nation nuclear talks in Beijing, which include China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the U.S., which continue periodically over the next several years.

_ Feb. 10, 2005: North Korea announces it has nuclear weapons.

_ July 5, 2006: North Korea launches seven missiles into the Sea of Japan, prompting a U.N. Security Council resolution to condemn it.

_ Oct. 9, 2006: North Korea says it has conducted its first-ever nuclear test.

_ Oct. 14, 2006: U.N. Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution imposing wide-ranging economic and diplomatic sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear test.

_ Feb. 13, 2007: North Korea agrees at six-nation talks on initial steps to disarmament.

_ July. 14, 2007: North Korea says it has shut down its Yongbyon plutonium-reactor. IAEA inspectors arrive in Pyongyang.

_ Aug. 17, 2007: The IAEA says its agents have confirmed the shutdown of four nuclear facilities at Yongbyon and an unfinished nuclear power plant at Taechon.

_ Sept. 2, 2007: The U.S. says North Korea agreed during talks in Geneva to declare and disable its nuclear programs by the end of the year — the first time it has offered a timeline.

_ Sept. 6, 2007: Israeli warplanes bomb a Syrian nuclear reactor site allegedly built with North Korean design help.

_ Oct. 3, 2007: The six parties agree that North Korea will provide a complete list of its nuclear programs and disable its facilities and its main reactor by Dec. 31.

_ Nov. 5, 2007, North Korea starts disabling the Yongbyon reactor under the watch of U.S. experts.

_ Dec. 31, 2007: North Korea misses its deadline for declaring all its nuclear programs.

_ Feb. 22, 2008: North Korea opens its main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon to foreign media for the first time. American researchers say North Korean officials told them they had slowed the removal of fuel rods because the United States and other nations fell behind in supplying aid promised under the disarmament deal.

_ March 28, 2008: North Korea test-fires a barrage of short-range missiles in an apparent angry response to the new South Korean government’s tougher stance on Pyongyang.

_ April 24, 2008: The White House breaks its silence and says North Korea assisted Syria’s secret nuclear program and that the nuclear reactor destroyed by Israel was not intended for “peaceful purposes.”

Update: see One Free Korea’s post. Very good read.

Update: See ROK Drop.

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Ion Mihai Pacepa: Red Horizons

Published
by
Jack
on April 19, 2008
in Communism, Cult Of Personality, Defectors, Juche Idea, North Korea, Other Regimes, Other Topics, Questions To Readers, United States, books and open thread
. 5 Comments

Red HorizonsI have been reading about Hwang Jang Yop’s defection to the ROK in 1997, and his warnings and commentary about his time in the KWP and what should be done about it seems to be largely ignored by a lot of folks. For what reasons and what end is something I am not too sure of yet, but I have been looking to other high level defections from other former communist nations. One I knew nothing about and seems pretty well-known is a man named Ion Mihai Pacepa. This defection made news and apparently was used by the United States for information regarding the Soviet bloc. This led to a multi-million dollar price tag on his head. His story is very interesting, and am reading more about this man. Also, there is a lot more information about Ion Mihai Pacepa than Yuri Bezmenov other than the 1985 interview posted earlier this week. Therefore, I have a lot of reading to do.

So I looked him up to see if he was still alive, and apparently, is alive and well. He wrote a lot of articles for conservative-leaning magazines (FrontPage Magazine, National Review and some others) and wrote some books. One I just ordered today is called Red Horizons. I read the limited preview on Google Books and was instantly riveted. It told the tale of how things worked behind closed doors of Nicolae Ceausescu’s communist Romania. This was in such detail (I am so used to little to no details when reading about the inner workings of North Korea) I could not believe my eyes. Once the limited preview was over, I was sorely disappointed and ordered the book. It was not that expensive $10 + shipping, but I will not like the wait for it to come to the door.

Now some may be asking why Romania and other former regimes when this blog is about North Korea. I am beginning to think there is some parallels and maybe some lessons to be learned. What can me gleaned from these other former regimes in respect to North Korea? I mean Romania had some similarities albeit Ceausescu’s imitation of other models of North Korea and China for instance. He had a huge cult of personality, a manufactured biography, and spending huge amounts of money on luxuries while others suffered greatly in his Utopia. In North Korea, there is a huge cult of personality, both Kims spend money for luxuries at the expense of the citizens, no tolerance for dissidents and a very closed off society. So my question is, how is Romania different or the same about North Korea? What can we learn from the mind of Nicolae in respect to Kim Il Sung and/or Kim Jong Il’s leadership? Maybe they are very different in many ways, but maybe history repeats itself. Perhaps this is something worth discussing further.

In the meantime, I will wait for this book, and if others have read this book or wants to discuss this further, by all means, let’s discuss it. Oh, and once I am done with the book, I will give my thoughts on it.

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The Path To Collapse: The beginning of the end of communism in Cuba

Published
by
Jack
on April 13, 2008
in Communism, Humanitarian Topic, News and Other Regimes
. 4 Comments

According to the New York Times, Raul Castro seems to be loosening hard-line state controls:

HAVANA (AP) — Thousands of Cubans will be able to get title to state-owned homes under regulations published Friday, a step that could lay the groundwork for broader housing reform.

The measure was the first legal decree formally published since Raúl Castro succeeded his brother Fidel as president in February. It came a day after state television said the government would also do away with wage limits, allowing state employees to earn as much they can as an incentive to productivity.

[...]

Emphasis and link removal mine. This, in my opinion, is the beginning of the end of the hard-line communist rule in Cuba. It does not mean it is the end of the regime or the state, but It could happen, and could take years. However, like anything else, it is hard to say how things will go, and when/how things could happen. However, I am an optimist, and I have a lot of hopes for the future of Cuba. I look forward to true free elections, speech, religion and free enterprise. If one looks back in history, it appears to be well on that path. To be sure, there are many possibilities on the ultimate fate of Cuba be in the regime, the state or both, but we can look a little closer to some possibilities in the fantastically written paper, Projecting Pyongyang:

Between “China’s” Soft Landing and “Romania’s” Crash Landing scenarios, one might also insert another scenario that possesses some aspects of each. This hybrid scenario would closely approximate the experience of Cuba. Like Pyongyang, Havana experienced tremendous economic difficulties in the final days of the Soviet Union and in the aftermath of its patron’s collapse. Like North Korea, Cuba\ confronted an economic crisis of monumental proportions as subsidies and credit from Soviet bloc countries evaporated. The Castro regime adopted ad hoc reforms in piecemeal fashion starting in the early 1990s. But Cuba and North Korea do seem to have much in common, including the fact that both regimes are in a holding pattern of sorts, ruled by dynasties wherein the current dictator’s days are clearly numbered. In each case, there appear to be clear limits to the change possible in the immediate future. In early 2008, Fidel Castro, who had been plagued by medical problems, handed over the reigns of power formally to his younger brother and designated successor, Raul. Fidel, who turned 81 years old in August 2007, remains the dominant political figure in Cuba, although Raul is in charge of the day-to-day affairs of state. Once Fidel Castro and Kim Jong Il pass completely from the scenes of their respective countries, there is likely to be far greater scope for change.

This appears to be pretty accurate, and I am pretty surprised to see such reforms in the fact Fidel Castro is still alive (barely), but I also have to say the reforms are not sweeping (yet). Some of these reforms remind me of the old Soviet Union and Gorby’s reforms of perestroika and glasnost just before the dissolution in 1991. To be sure, Raul Castro has recently allowed people cell phones, DVD players and the like, when before, was heavily censored [Reuters]:

[...] Cuban President Raul Castro has introduced a series of reforms to raise food output and end what he called “excessive prohibitions” in communist Cuba.

Yes, that seems pretty bold, but I am still skeptical despite the laxing of the rules, but I cannot help but to smile. I really believe I am seeing history in the making:

The following are some of the reforms undertaken so far:

* Decentralized agriculture to allow private farmers more leeway to decide how to use their land, what crops to plant and what supplies to buy. Farmers granted leases to unused land.

* Lifted ban on Cubans buying consumer goods such as computers, DVD players, microwave ovens and other electronic appliances previously prohibited due to energy crisis.

This sounds familiar. It seems the crisis was from the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but according to this report on Boston.com, Hugo Chavez has been supplying Cuba with energy and at the same time using alternate forms of energy because of necessity. In the case of North Korea, The Soviet Union also was a good teat for the regime to suck on, and now that it is gone, is in huge shortage. While they have been getting some help, the stalemate in the six-party talks and other mis-adventures of Kim Jong Il is preventing them from getting the goodies he needs. Kim Jong Il does not have many friends, and the only one he has left is an arm’s length ally with the length getting longer and longer. So there seems to be some big difference in that respect.

* Cubans can now stay at hotels at beach resorts previously reserved for foreigners only, ending a “tourism apartheid” that was a source of resentment.

This is also interesting. I guess this is like normal North Koreans getting to stay at the hotels in Pyongyang. As for the limits on movement in Cuba is unclear to me, but from the link, it seems the restrictions on movement are not as strict as North Korea, but I am going to have research this more. What is clear, is regular Cuban citizens were not allowed in these places, and now they are, which is pretty significant to me. The downside is, a lot of Cubans do not have two centavos to rub together, so even if they are allowed, it may be out of reach in the immediate short term.

* As of April 14, Cubans will be allowed to freely buy and use cellular telephones, a service that only government officials and foreign companies had access to until now.

The freedom of communication. That is another step in right direction. I am also wondering of this includes allowance of receiving foreign broadcasts (this link appears to not be the case at the time of that writing which was early February, but on April 2, Raul has expended that allowance, but is not sweeping). All the same, to be allowed to have cell phones seems significant despite the economic divide of normal citizens and the elite.

* Reduced bureaucracy for filling medical prescriptions and began revamping family doctor program in response to public complaints it was understaffed.

Hm, I guess Michael Moore was wrong in regards to Cuba’s health care system being second to none. If it was so great, then there would have been no reason to reform, right? In any case, there is more [Associated Press]:

HAVANA (AP) — It’s not the stuff of Lenin or Marx, or even of Fidel Castro, but it’s hardly free-market capitalism, either. In fact, steps to encourage a Cuban spending spree may help the communist system and its new president survive.

In rapid-fire decrees over the past week, Raul Castro’s government has done away with some despised restrictions, lifting bans on electric appliances, microwaves and computers, inviting average citizens to enter long-forbidden resorts and declaring they can even legally have their own cell phones.

More could be on the way. Rumors are rampant the government could ease travel restrictions and tolerate free enterprise that would let more people start their own small businesses. And hopes that it will tweak the dual-currency system that puts foreign products out of reach for most Cubans have sparked a run on the peso.

“We’re going to get out and buy more and more,” said retiree Roberto Avila. “That’s the future in Cuba, and it is a strong future.”

Cuba is still far from a buyers’ paradise. Nearly everyone holds government jobs, earning an average of $19.50 a month, though many get dollars from tourism jobs or relatives abroad. It would take the average Cuban five months to earn enough to buy a low-end DVD player that an American could buy with five hours of minimum-wage work.

I have to agree it is not capitalism yet, and I also agree the haves and have-nots are already apparent in the face of these reforms because as I said before, most Cubans are very poor, and cannot afford a cell phone, microwave or a stay at a foreign hotel. Perhaps once the wage cap has been removed, maybe it will be in reach later, but immediately, it does not seem that way. On the other hand, as with all change in places like Cuba and other former communist states, change does not happen overnight. Going back to the NYT article:

By law, Cubans still are not permitted to sell their homes to anyone but the government, though they may swap housing with government approval — a process that can take years.

Two officials at Cuba’s National Housing Institute, who insisted on not being named because they were not authorized to speak to the foreign news media, said the new law was probably the first in a series of housing reforms.

I cannot see that law lasting forever, but I am curious to see what else comes down the pike as far as the housing reforms go. As for the wages:

[...] Ariel Terrero, a commentator on state television, said a resolution approved in February but not yet published would remove salary caps intended to promote social and economic equality, allowing state employees to earn as much they can.

That also appears to be good news, but change of that magnitude can take take time to change over, but in all, could close the gap of the have and have-nots. In what time frame is unclear, but again, I cannot see it happening overnight. Also, what path Raul Castro wants to go with reforms are unclear as well, and I will have to wait and see what else is in store.

In conclusion, Cuba is far from a democracy and has a long way to go. On the other hand, it does seem to me the cracks are very clear in the once hard-line state. I am very interested in seeing what else happens. As things are going the way they are now, I cannot help but to think that Raul in the quest for stability may actually be bringing the inevitable path to collapse. Not a hard landing mind you, but a hybrid as Projecting Pyongyang suggested.

The question posed today: Is Raul Castro Cuba’s Gorbachev?

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Syrian strike details to be released later this month

Published
by
Jack
on April 6, 2008
in News, North Korea, Nukes, Other Regimes, Speculation and United States
. 0 Comments

I am very curious to see what the details will be. According to The Press Association:

Israel and the US are co-ordinating the release of details of a mysterious Israeli air force strike in Syria, according to reports.

The Haaretz newspaper says US officials might disclose details of the Sept 6 strike later this month during congressional hearings.

The Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported that the matter would come up April 17 before the congressional Committee on Foreign Relations.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev would not comment on the Haaretz report.

But Israeli security officials told The Associated Press that they object to any release of details to the committee, which is to hear testimony on North Korea’s nuclear programme, including any nuclear activity in Syria.

Israel has maintained almost total silence since the attack, which Syria said hit an unused military installation.

But some foreign reports have claimed that Israel targeted a nuclear installation Syria was building with North Korean assistance.

Damascus denies having an undeclared atomic programme, and North Korea says it was not involved in any such project. Syria did not retaliate for the attack.

The New York Times has reported that the Bush administration knew about the strike before it happened.

According to Haaretz, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the Bush administration think it is now possible to disclose details because in their assessment Syria is unlikely to retaliate at this point.

This is is full of unanswered questions, and I am very surprised the US is going to release the details despite Israeli’s objections. Whatever happened behind closed doors is up for debate and mystery, and if Bush knew of a strike beforehand is unknown to me as well. For some people, the New York Times is not reliable, and maybe some questioned it. Personally, I do not question the NYT because of the paper itself, but I question the whole thing. Syria and North Korea deny any nuclear cooperation of course, but Washington thinks something fishy is going on. That I agree with. What it is, we will find out very soon.

One thing I am not getting is, Syria is unlikely retaliate at this point may be true, but North Korea has ants in their pants. I can see it now; if Washington were to say North Korea has been helping Syria with nuclear weapons, we all know North Korea will increase the sabre rattling. It should get pretty interesting.

Others know more details of this fiasco, and I would keep my eyes peeled on OFK and DPRK Studies.

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North Korean oddities:Emperor Hotel and Casino

Published
by
Jack
on April 2, 2008
in Economy, Google Earthing, North Korea, Other Regimes, Pictures and Travel
. 6 Comments

The DailyNK does not allow me to repost pictures (I could ask), but looking around Google Earth today, I ran into something not many ordinary North Koreans (or many other people for that matter) cannot do: Gamble. I tried looking for as much information as possible on this oddity, and sure enough, this hotel and casino is in the more scenic area amid a lot of (or what seems to be) an industrial/port area. Not a lot of information is available on the Emperor Hotel and Casino in North Korea, but found some interesting tidbits here and there.

The first is a Russian web site and there are very nice quality pictures of not only the countryside, buildings, and people, but the casino as well. (h/t London Korean Links) Yes, it is in Russian, and as crappy as the Google translator is, it gives one a decent idea of what the pictures are.

Continue reading ‘North Korean oddities:Emperor Hotel and Casino’

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Psychological profile of Adolf Hitler: Is there one for Kim Jong Il or Kim Il Sung?

Published
by
Jack
on March 20, 2008
in Cult Of Personality, History, Humanitarian Topic, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, North Korea, Other Regimes, Speculation, Video and books
. 4 Comments

Here is an interesting documentary about Adolf Hitler. I do not know who made the documentary, but that is not important. What this discussed was the psychological profile of Adolf Hitler. Apparently, this was never done before, but some shocking predictions were made based on his behavior and past. These were accurate from the documentary’s point of view.

One of the people discussing this profile is a man named Jerrold M. Post. Apparently, he never saw the analysis much later.

Now, what is interesting, and what I would like to know is, are there profiles of Kim Jong Il, Kim Il sung or the other cronies inside the regime? I am sure if there is such a thing, it is not for public consumption, but it would be very interesting to see something like that.

Continue reading ‘Psychological profile of Adolf Hitler: Is there one for Kim Jong Il or Kim Il Sung?’

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CNN: Fidel Castro resigns according to state newspaper

Published
by
Jack
on February 19, 2008
in News and Other Regimes
. 5 Comments

fidel.jpgBreaking news on CNN right now; Fidel Castro resigns:

(CNN) — Fidel Castro announced his resignation as president of Cuba and commander-in-chief of Cuba’s military on Tuesday, according to a letter published in the state-run newspaper, Granma.

I did not see anything on the digital Granma, but it seems it was reported on CNN as official and in the printed paper.

Castro, 81, temporarily handed power to his younger brother Raul Castro in July 2006 after undergoing intestinal surgery. He hasn’t been seen in public since his surgery, but he has appeared in numerous videos and photos in state media.

In December 2007, a Cuban television news anchor read a letter reportedly written by Fidel Castro promising he would not “cling to office” or be an impediment to rising young leaders.

[...]

This post is dedicated to my dear friends who escaped the regime to live in America. You know who you are, and hopefully, chanes in your political system can take place and you can go back to your homeland. This is an end to an era and very huge news. Clarification: The friends I talk about are not all Cubans in general (I cannot speak for all of them), but I talk about two friends who escaped Cuba a long time ago. One in particular wants to go back, but will not as long as Fidel and/or his regime is there. This post is dedicated to them.

Oh and a friend Perg pointed out the above bolded text. That looks pretty telling because Raul Castro is not a “spring chicken” (his words). So what does that mean? Time will tell in the coming days.

Continue reading ‘CNN: Fidel Castro resigns according to state newspaper’

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The path to collapse: China to step in (Full PDF available)?

Published
by
Jack
on January 8, 2008
in Diplomacy, Interesting reading, News, North Korea, Nukes, Other Regimes, Speculation, The region and United States
. 1 Comment

ChinaThere has been speculation and I have speculated along with many others if the government should finally implode or explode. We do know the economy already collapsed a while ago, and the DPRK has been dependent on aid to keep the regime going. We also know it is hanging by a thread, and numerous reports from defectors and elsewhere has suggested the dire situation in North Korea. One of the speculations is once the regime is finally gone, who would take over, what plans are in place and the long term goals of the North if it should suddenly topple. One of the more well known speculations is China would step in. While not all agree with it, I think we can all agree China does have some vested interest in North Korea pre- and post-collapse. However, I do not have a crystal ball, so it is very hard to say what the future may bring. Whatever the case, sudden collapse will be painful and a mess. I cannot see it any other way.

Continue reading ‘The path to collapse: China to step in (Full PDF available)?’

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Press Conference with Condi Rice regarding North Korea and other topics

Published
by
Jack
on December 21, 2007
in Diplomacy, News, North Korea, Nukes, Other Regimes, Other Topics, Politics, United States and Video
. 0 Comments

I saw this press conference on C-Span earlier today and found it pretty interesting. Have a watch (about 45 mins.), and decide for yourself what is between the lines:

Specific to North Korea (Full transcript here):

In East Asia, we have made progress this year toward our goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. After agreeing to implement the September 2005 joint statement, North Korea shut down and is now disabling its Yongbyon facilities. We expect North Korea to honor the pledge it made in the six-party talks, to make a complete and accurate declaration of all its nuclear programs. Of course, other challenges and flashpoints of conflict remain in East Asia and we will monitor those closely. In the Taiwan Strait, for example, the United States remains committed to peace and security. We oppose any threat to use force and any unilateral move by either side to change the status quo. We have a One China policy and we do not support independence for Taiwan.

Which goes along with the previous post I made and is making a buzz around the Internet and blogs. The Taiwan issue is interesting and I want to study that further. If other readers have more information and/or background on this, I would be interested. It goes a little further on the issue:

As we have stated in recent months, we think that Taiwan’s referendum to apply to the United Nations under the name “Taiwan” is a provocative policy. It unnecessarily raises tensions in the Taiwan Strait and it promises no real benefits for the people of Taiwan on the international stage. That is why we oppose this referendum.

I guess that makes some sense, but I am not too sure about the broader picture or the history of this issue. Anyway, going back to the nuclear issue, six-party talks and North Korea, with a lot of tight-lipness, a reporter asks about the uranium found in centrifuges:

QUESTION: I’m wondering if you can tell us what you think the significance is of the discovery of enriched uranium on these — the samples of aluminum tubes from the North Koreans. Will this complicate the six-party process and will it — does it raise any flags ahead of the declaration which they are supposed to present in about 10 days?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, I’m not going to comment on specific reports or certainly on intelligence matters, but we have been very clear that we expect a declaration from North Korea that is complete and that is accurate. As you know, we have long been concerned about highly enriched uranium as an alternative route in North Korea and so we expect there to be a declaration that is complete and accurate. I also want to note that there is a considerable diplomatic effort underway not just by the United States, but by other members of the six-party talks to make certain that we can complete this second phase, both with the disablement, which I should underscore is going very well, and with the declaration. I sincerely hope that we’ll — it’ll be by the end of the year. But the key here is to get the process right and we’re going to stay at this until we get it right.

There was some hesitation and seemed open ended when making this statement. That was just my take on it, but like anything North Korea, it is still up in the air on what kind of card North Korea will play next. The ball is clearly in their court right now, and what they will say is unclear at the moment. As stated before, I kind of doubt North Korea will admit any uranium enrichment program. How others including the United States will react to such a thing (if it happens) is another thing altogether. If there is evidence of such activity, how will it affect the talks? That is something I am really interested in seeing taking place. However, Condi seems very mum about any details as expected.

And another question about Iran and North Korea:

QUESTION: Do you — can I ask you a follow-up? Do you see opportunities to visit countries like North Korea and Iran and Syria before the end of your term if they were to significantly improve their (inaudible)?

SECRETARY RICE: Look, we don’t have permanent enemies; the United States doesn’t. What we have is a policy that is open to ending conflict and confrontation with any country that is willing to meet us on those terms. And we’ve given very clear paths with our allies. It’s not a unilateral U.S. policy, but with our allies, we’ve given very clear paths and very clear pathways for improving relations with all of those countries. If, in fact, we continue on a path of completing the next stages on North Korean denuclearization, if the denuclearization continues, then the agreement that we signed in September 2005 and the February 19th agreement of last year is very clear on a pathway toward better political relations between the United States and North Korea. And there can be many different opportunities within that context of improved relations.

And on Iran, I continue to say that if Iran will just do the one thing that is required of it by the Security Council resolutions that have been passed, and that is suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities, then I’m prepared to meet my counterpart anyplace and anytime and anywhere and we can talk about anything. So let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s see if countries are prepared to take that path. But the United States doesn’t have permanent enemies. We’re too great a country for that.

So there is the carrot. Will North Korea take it? Time will tell on that one.

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Have a look at the Cold War archives

Published
by
Jack
on November 7, 2007
in History, Korean War, Other Regimes, Politics, ROK, The region and United States
. 0 Comments

Kim Il SungI have been wanting to do this for quite some time, and while I should be finishing the propaganda series, I thought this would be something I want to post instead. The Cold War lasted for many decades, and while it is considered over by many people, for Korea, the Cold War never ended. The division is still there, and Panmunjom is the most visible of the division of ideologies.

I went ahead and looked around for some interesting tidbits in the Cold War Archives and other places to gain a better understanding of the thought process of North Korea and the Korean War.

Not only does this archive cover Korea, it covers other countries as well, and has a host of declassified documents and exchanges with leaders. It is a very interesting read, and it would do the site an injustice to highlight just a few things.

Some other stuff:

Cold War Studies at Harvard University

National Security Archive

CIA

Declassified Korean War Documents

More Korean War documents at Kimsoft

Enjoy the archives. If you know of any other archives that may be of interest to readers, please let me know and I will make sure to add it to the resources.

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The Vietnam trip: North Korea to change?

Published
by
Jack
on October 30, 2007
in Economy, News, North Korea and Other Regimes
. 1 Comment

There are some things that I simply cannot imagine, and one of those things is serious economic reform within the secluded state. While economic reforms changes have been taking place and is one of the key factors for the South’s plan for reunification, it has been slow going and full of red tape. Kim Jong Il loves red tape and having the upper hand. It’s his defining personality. I ran into an interesting article from the BBC regarding a trip to Vietnam.

Continue reading ‘The Vietnam trip: North Korea to change?’

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Kim Jong Il is slipping in the polls (updated)

Published
by
Jack
on October 16, 2007
in North Korea, Other Regimes, Politics, The region and United States
. 3 Comments

Kim Jong Il needs to work harder because he is #2 as the worst for press freedom. Eritrea came in first. Honestly, I do not know how that country could be any worse, but it must be pretty bad to be ranked #1.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) — North Korea narrowly escaped being branded the country with the least press freedom in the world, coming in second to last after Eritrea, an annual index released by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday.

North Korea came in 168th among 169 nations that were judged on the level of media freedom in the country. Turkmenistan was just one notch above North Korea.

I? know? Turkmenistan? was pretty bad, but did not think it was that bad. So maybe Kim can celebrate. His placement on the most repressive of regimes is improving somewhat. Perhaps another mass game or a public execution. Who knows?

If you are interested in the report, here it is. Reporters? Without? Borders? gives? the? reason? why? Eritrea? came? in? dead? last:

“There is nothing surprising about this,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Even if we are not aware of all the press freedom violations in North Korea and Turkmenistan, which are second and third from last, Eritrea deserves to be at the bottom. The privately-owned press has been banished by the authoritarian President Issaias Afeworki and the few journalists who dare to criticise the regime are thrown in prison. We know that four of them have died in detention and we have every reason to fear that others will suffer the same fate.”

Hm, North Korea does the same thing, but I guess it makes some sense considering it is a little difficult to go into the gulags and ask around. In any case, those are the winners of the losers in freedom of the press. I am pretty sad to read about the state of the United States:

There were slightly fewer press freedom violations in the United States (48th) and blogger Josh Wolf was freed after 224 days in prison. But the detention of Al-Jazeera’s Sudanese cameraman, Sami Al-Haj, since 13 June 2002 at the military base of Guantanamo and the murder of Chauncey Bailey in Oakland in August mean the United States is still unable to join the lead group.

Those inceidents of the blogger I had no idea about, and as for the Gitmo detainees is a very, very controversial issue, and the United States is very divided on that. I personally do not know what to think of it because a lot of the things going on down there has not all been brought to light other than the propaganda blaring from both sides of the issue. I personally do not care for the idea, but when I say that, I am labled a terrorist sympathizer. I do not support terrorism, but I wonder what is really going on down there. Anyway, this is not a Gitmo debate, this is about freedom of the press.

It? seems? China? is? not? too? friendly? to? bloggers:

Government repression no longer ignores bloggers

The Internet is occupying more and more space in the breakdown of press freedom violations. Several countries fell in the ranking this year because of serious, repeated violations of the free flow of online news and information.

In Malaysia (124th), Thailand (135th), Vietnam (162nd) and Egypt (146th), for example, bloggers were arrested and news websites were closed or made inaccessible. “We are concerned about the increase in cases of online censorship,” Reporters Without Borders said. “More and more governments have realised that the Internet can play a key role in the fight for democracy and they are establishing new methods of censoring it. The governments of repressive countries are now targeting bloggers and online journalists as forcefully as journalists in the traditional media.”

At least 64 persons are currently imprisoned worldwide because of what they posted on the Internet. China? [rank? 163] maintains its leadership in this form of repression, with a total of 50 cyber-dissidents in prison. Eight are being held in Vietnam. A young man known as Kareem Amer was sentenced to four years in prison in Egypt for blog posts criticising the president and Islamist control of the country’s universities.

Pretty scary.? I am all for the freedom of the press without the fear of beatings, prison or repression. As North Korea sits near the very bottom of the barrel, it makes me pretty sad to see the United States at #48. It should be a shining example of freedom, but alas, it is not. Is the report biased? Do they not understand? I am not too sure, but it still makes me sad all the same.

South Korea and Chile are tied at #39, which is not all that great either.

All the same, Reporters Wihtout Boreders is not free from controversy either and is accused of bias. I do not know who runs Counterpunch, but it seems conservative circles do not care for them while the Wikipedia article tends to paint the American left as praising it. Since I do not depend on Wikipedia for accuracy, I am not going to hang my hat on the article. All I know Reporters Without Borders is not free from controversy is all I am trying to get at here.

Here is how Reporters Without Borders compiles this index. I’ll leave it up to the readers to decide if the list is fair or not.

Update:? see? ROK? Drop’s? take? on
this.? I? would? also? love? to? see? a? list? of? the? abuses? of? freedom? given? to? others.

See? NK? EconWatch?

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Israel confirms strike, but will not say any details

Published
by
Jack
on October 2, 2007
in North Korea, Nukes and Other Regimes
. 0 Comments

Here is some unexpected news:

Israel confirms the strikes in Syria, but will not disclose what they attacked although it says Syria said the raid was on some unused building. What is key here is what Israel was targeting. We do not know that yet.

Israel broke nearly a month of official silence and confirmed on Tuesday it carried out an air strike deep inside Syrian territory on Sept 6.

…

Israel had until now refused to confirm or deny that any air strike had taken place, though the incident was publicly confirmed by Syrian officials.

…

He said Syria reserved the right to respond to the attack, identifying the target as an unused military building.

‘Retaliate doesn’t mean missile for missile and bomb for bomb. We have our means to retaliate, maybe politically, maybe in other ways. But we have the right to retaliate,’ he said.

So now we wait to see what the target was. I do not think that tidbit will come anytime soon, but was kind of surprise to read about the confirmation. North Korea of course denies any ties to anything (as usual). How Syria will respond remains to be seen too.

Speculation abounds still, and until there is confirmation from all sides, I am not going to take it for gospel. In the meantime, Russia is reported helping Syria upgrade air defense. Russia has extended the hostile stance against the US and allies, and it bothers me (but this has been brewing for quite some time).

The Times of London reported Tuesday that Russia has sent technicians
to upgrade Syria’s air defense system after Israeli electronic warfare systems allowed IAF warplanes to attack a target in Syria last month.

Now what? As I said before, something in the works is going on, and while it seems detached, for some reason feel it in my bones it is something bigger. I hope I am wrong, but something is in the air.

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