The Korea Conundrum
North Korea is a conundrum for apologists of "actually existing socialism" regimes. There aren't a whole lot of Communist countries left. China is too capitalist, Venezuela is too pink (read: not revolutionary/radical), it's too soon to judge the Maoist movement in Nepal, CCCP fell, FARC is a bunch of gangster drug lords. Cuba seems to be doing alright, but years of sanctions have inhibited their ability to progress as a nation. North Korea, supported mainly by the new economic boogy-man - China, stands out as a big middle finger to Western imperialism. They have nukes, which forces superpowers like the US to take them seriously, but also to leave them alone. Saddam Hussein never had WMD's so it was safe enough for the US to invade his country and lynch him. Kim Jong-Il made it clear that they had a nuclear program and his son, Kim Jong-Un, has threatened to use them.
For some of us this morbid prospect is intriguing. Of course no one wants nuclear war. There's a slim chance that Un is just reckless enough that it might seem like a good idea to him, but I think the reality is much different. Nuclear weapons are an ace in the hole. The threat of using them is a powerful bargaining tool, and his wild card has been effective. In exchange for promises to decrease the scope the N. Korean nuclear program Un has been able to secure foreign aid for his country.
However, Un is hardly a benevolent dictator. A recent Frontline episode has exposed the hypocrisy in N. Korean pseudo-Marxism where classless socialism is the official line, while orphan children are forced to live on the streets and starve. The episode makes the argument that a black-market of foreign cinema and television has made the people aware that there is another way. However, they seem to argue that the emergence of a limited free market in N. Korea is a sign of hope. As any good socialist knows, capitalism and democracy are not necessarily married. Zizek has made clear that China is a prime example of the estrangement of capitalism and democracy (See Zizek on "Capitalism with Asian Values").
What is clear is that the N. Korean experiment has become a veritable Jonestown: a dystopian project headed towards destruction. The buffoonery of the Kim dynasty reveals the last three "great-and-powerful-leaders'" ineptitude and has rendered them as caricatures to the outside world (See "customer reviews" on Amazon's On the Art of the Opera page). Unfortunately, for the people of N. Korea the situation is all too real.
North Korea is a conundrum for apologists of "actually existing socialism" regimes. There aren't a whole lot of Communist countries left. China is too capitalist, Venezuela is too pink (read: not revolutionary/radical), it's too soon to judge the Maoist movement in Nepal, CCCP fell, FARC is a bunch of gangster drug lords. Cuba seems to be doing alright, but years of sanctions have inhibited their ability to progress as a nation. North Korea, supported mainly by the new economic boogy-man - China, stands out as a big middle finger to Western imperialism. They have nukes, which forces superpowers like the US to take them seriously, but also to leave them alone. Saddam Hussein never had WMD's so it was safe enough for the US to invade his country and lynch him. Kim Jong-Il made it clear that they had a nuclear program and his son, Kim Jong-Un, has threatened to use them.
For some of us this morbid prospect is intriguing. Of course no one wants nuclear war. There's a slim chance that Un is just reckless enough that it might seem like a good idea to him, but I think the reality is much different. Nuclear weapons are an ace in the hole. The threat of using them is a powerful bargaining tool, and his wild card has been effective. In exchange for promises to decrease the scope the N. Korean nuclear program Un has been able to secure foreign aid for his country.
However, Un is hardly a benevolent dictator. A recent Frontline episode has exposed the hypocrisy in N. Korean pseudo-Marxism where classless socialism is the official line, while orphan children are forced to live on the streets and starve. The episode makes the argument that a black-market of foreign cinema and television has made the people aware that there is another way. However, they seem to argue that the emergence of a limited free market in N. Korea is a sign of hope. As any good socialist knows, capitalism and democracy are not necessarily married. Zizek has made clear that China is a prime example of the estrangement of capitalism and democracy (See Zizek on "Capitalism with Asian Values").
What is clear is that the N. Korean experiment has become a veritable Jonestown: a dystopian project headed towards destruction. The buffoonery of the Kim dynasty reveals the last three "great-and-powerful-leaders'" ineptitude and has rendered them as caricatures to the outside world (See "customer reviews" on Amazon's On the Art of the Opera page). Unfortunately, for the people of N. Korea the situation is all too real.
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