By Fareed Zakaria, CNN
I noticed a strange item in the news this week. An estimated 200 North Koreans are stranded in Libya right now, among them doctors and nurses whose services are much needed back home. Why are they there? Why can't they go back?
Well, it turns out that they were sent to Libya to earn desperately needed hard currency for North Korea's tyrant, Kim Jong-Il. But now, despite Gadhafi's death and the changing circumstances, he'd rather these essential workers stay away. The same goes for hundreds of other doctors, nurses, technicians and other workers in Tunisia and Egypt.
Why? The Arab spring.
The Dear Leader doesn't want these people, who have seen street protests succeed and dictatorships fall, to return and talk about it. In fact, editorials in South Korean newspapers say that only 1% of North Koreans have even heard of the Arab spring. But how you would have such an exact figure beats me.
What we can say for sure is that the North Korean press has simply not reported on any of the popular uprisings of 2011, obviously for fear of sparking protests within North Korea. In fact, Pyongyang issued a statement in March simply saying Libya's dismantling of its nuclear weapons program made it more vulnerable to western intervention. In other words, 'We, the North Koreans, will keep our nukes as our insurance policy against regime change.' So don't expect Pyongyang to disarm anytime soon. The regime interprets the fall of Gadhafi as a cautionary tale. Don't disarm; don't try to talk to the west; don't open up.
Meanwhile, the suffering of the North Korean people continues. Just last week, UNICEF reported that millions of children there are at risk of being severely malnourished. These children will be more vulnerable to disease and stunted growth. And there's little hope that the government has the ability to help even if it wanted to.
There's been a major shortage of food for years now compounded by adverse weather conditions and a suspension of food aid programs from the U.S. and South Korea. Even China, Pyongyang's only ally, has cut food aid.
So what happens next? No one predicted the Arab Spring, but can one predict a North Korean Fall? Not really. Most of the tools of popular revolt these days are unavailable in North Korea. Only 400,000 people have mobile phones. That's 1.5% of a population of 24 million. Getting a phone requires connections to the regime. Internet penetration rates aren't available but they're estimated to be just as low. There's no Twitter, no Facebook, no YouTube, no Al Jazeera to coalesce the masses.
So bottom-up change does not look like it's going to happen any time soon. So perhaps change could come when there's change at the top. Kim Jong-Il is 70 years old. It's been reported he's had a stroke and has had cancer. And he's picked his successor in a rushed manner.
But the army, intelligence apparatus and the police appear to be solidly behind him and his family. We'll probably never know what's really going on in North Korea, and there is little appetite in China, the one country with influence in North Korea, to force change in Pyongyang.
But it is worth remembering that in a time of mass global unrest and popular uprisings, North Korea remains a highly secretive, brutal dictatorship enslaving its people - arguably the world's worst regime.
For more of my thoughts throughout the week, I invite you to follow me on Facebook and Twitter to visit the Global Public Square every day. Also, for more What in the World? pieces, click here.
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The question is, if an “Arab Spring” happened in North Korea, would the regime crack down in a way that makes Syria look tame, or would the true weakness of the regime show and it would fall like a house of cards?
The people are starving and don't have the physical strength to fight the security forces!
The North Koreans stranded in Libya, Tunisia or Egypt should seek political asylum, if they can't return to North Korea. The regime in Pyongyang sends its ciitzens abroad to work in factories. These people are held as slaves and not allowed to leave the compound.
The only hope for change is the heir apparent, the young Kim Jong Un, who apparently had been to school in Switzerland for a short while. He was fattened like a turkey so that he would ressemble his grand-father, while there's a food shortage in the country.
What's the difference, if they stay in Egypt they'll be living under a dictatorship since the Egyptian military is installing itself as the government. In addition, who knows if Libya with all its different tribes will have democracy or another dictatorship. The only good thing is those N. Koreans will have food to eat.
Sorry the vast majority of people in NK are starving but not a single cent of US taxpayer money should ever be expended again for NK. They are China's proxy so let them absorb the cost of the failed high maintenance child of a country. In the mean time, just make sure NK stays in their box until the inevitable implosion which is just a matter of time.
okay here's the plan: When the dirty evil zionists command America to start an unsustainable war with Iran, we'll attack Seoul and whip the heck out of the capitalist dog lackeys of America. The 36,000 U.S. troops on the border won't stand a chance against our 2 million men army.
It will be fun whopping on those dumb Americans cause they will be bogged down getting their butts kicked by our Iranian brothers. And they'll be using all of those sunburn missiles we gave them on the American fleet. American will never recover – gee, thanks you dirty evil zionists for bringing America down. We want to thank you in advance.
Say goodbye America.
@RickPerry, Seriously? You can't be North Korean and posting on CNN, because they block CNN and other Western sites. So, you must be either Chinese or Iranian. Good for you on your little hypothetical though. That's a neat little fantasy you've shared with us.
But I'm going to crush your fantasy. I hate to break it to you dude, but no one is invading Iran unless Russia and China are on board. Sanctions will be placed – but invasion? No. And no one is invading South Korea unless Russia and China are on board. So... whatever happens now, the US will not fall, because given the state of our country we have to act unilaterally with the UN Security council in all future international incidents: ie Europe, China and Russia.
Look at Libya – the US didn't even lead military action there. We followed the lead of our allies. And comparatively to a potential war with Iran – Libya is small potatoes. Invading Iran would take a unified international front.
America will not fall. We'll just put more sanctions on Iran and NK and leave it at that.
Thanks RickPerry my morning been going slow at work i needed a good laugh. Yeah like what others said i don't see us invading Iran at most i see us droping a few bunker bombs on them have u seen our new ones? they will do lovely to anything they hit.
so let say your actually a North Korean ethier in the county or out i would love to see your 2 million mostly poor equiped with outdated weapsons and planes you only have enough fuel to fly only a few times a year that probblly get shot down before they get a crosss the border and your poorly train army do anything is laughble.
Yeah they got a large army but sense most troops are drafted in and poorly trained (not enough bullets to actually train them on how to shoot) the only trained soliders are the pollitical elite ones and they will probblly start decting in droves once our well equiped and train army starts to mow them down at best all NK has is maybe a nuke and those are porbblly the frist things that would be taken out. the only reason why Korea is solely under South Korea control is China was able to renforce the defeated North and drive us back and that they keep the North as their puppet currently. all we would need to do is put a sign in Korean on the border that read free foood and hot showers for whoever defects and we could win with very little shooting.
I wonder if he realizes Seoul is in South Korea... At least he can't see Russia from his house.
Well, they are said to have a 1,000,000 man Armed Forces. The vast majority of these are uneducated cannon-fodder. They would, however, probably be plenty effective at putting down internal uprisings.
Unfortunately, the people would lose.
what rice?
There will be no "North Korean Spring" and this is why: the "Arab Spring" was initiated by the CIA and MI6. They cannot penetrate North Korean society as easily, because in the words of former CIA region head and ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg, North Korea is "an intelligence failure."
The events were predicted months in advance by the globalist think tank the Council on Foreign Relations via their publication "Foreign Affairs", with articles such as "remaking the middle east" and "the political power of social media" where they predicted uprisings in the middle east and the u.s. using twitter, google, etc.! Why not ask Fareed, he was the Senior Editor for Foreign Affairs and he just recently stepped down?
Where can I get me one of dem nice tin foil hats too?
Get real – if the CIA had any part in it no Arab would touch it with a ten foot pole. Heck, I wouldn't and I'm an American...
Rick- I still have the magazines. I did not pull this out of my nether region. You can look it up if you dont believe me (Foreign Affairs Oct-Feb issues).
driranek- The concepts of "secrecy" and "covertness" are lost on you, I suppose?
And I would like to add, if anyone recalls (most likely no, due to the level of cognitive dissonance seen here) the appearance of the "white rebels"? The media covered this pretty early on. Why do you think they were there? The public is easily deceived.
So say the CIA was involved as if it were a fact. And then use that to suport an argument. Your supporting fact is most certainly wrong. The argument is then unsupported. I do agree with the end point, "not gonna happen in NK soon." My reason is that revolutions are most of the time started by the middle class or those who like to become middle class. NK has no middle.
Weathermen predict the weather but they don't make it happen. You need to take a look at the "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy.
I don't know how much the CIA and MI6 were involved in the initial uprisings, as much of this was simply started from a single man in Tunisia lighting himself on fire. However, once things got going you can guarantee that the CIA and other special intelligence agencies have been hard at work trying to influence the outcomes of these uprisings as best they can to suit their interests in the region. If I was the CIA, I would be focusing as much personnel as I could in Syria at the moment to try to overthrow that government. You can bet the CIA is funding the Free Syrian Army and if they can, they are providing them with arms. Syria is one of Iran's closest allies, and if we can disrupt that alliance in any way we are going to try to do it.
And as far as N. Korea goes, I believe you are right. Everything I have read has been an utter failure as far as trying to influence the people and govt. of N. Korea. The closest we can get to them is our marines patrolling the border with S. Korean troops. The only chance for N. Koreans in the near future is for something to happen within the government once Kim Jong-Il is deceased. If there is some sort of power struggle that takes place at that time, maybe the people can take advantage and rise up. If it goes smoothly however, I believe it will just be more of the same for the people of N. Korea.
We will discuss this at the next triumverate meeting. I think representatives from the Rothschilds, the Gettys, and Colonel Sanders will all be there.
I agree. It amuses me that there is any doubt expressed about what you posted. People need to get a clue as to how intelligence agencies think or operate. It's like people take mainstream media narratives at face value, never looking beyond them.
Greg, your piostion is just like the one leftists had under Reagan. They were afraid Reagan's efforts to protect America were provoking the Russians. I love the lack of logic. "That crazy guy with the gun who has already attacked his neighbors might get nervous if we give guns to his neighbors to protect themselves." The liberal preemptive surrender response strikes again. You would rather gamble with the lives of innocents, hoping that the lunatic doesn't slaughter them. I am all for giving them the means to defend themselves. What is really interesting is that on the one hand you call them paranoid, which is indicitive of irrational behavior. Yet you still think they will react rationally to non-aggression or talk. Frankly, I'm not sure you understand them at all. As it is, you don't even understand yourself.Not long ago I had a friend that was being stalked by a deranged ex-employee. I didn't try to talk to him, I simply spent some time at my friend's house with a shotgun and a few pistols until things were straightened out. If he had seen that as a provocation, it couldn't be helped. I sure as hell wasn't going to do nothing and risk my friend being murdered because the stalker might get upset at my armed presence.ReplyLike or Dislike: 0 0
What everyone's not aware is that there had been uprising in North Korean in the past. They provoked immediate military response and censorship. The refugees from NK have suggested evidences for such uprising by young men. But like the article said, with lack of means of communication and big brotherhood, there's no way of organizing massive protests. That's the reality there.
No way, the regime has trained soldiers to obey, they will probably fight and kill if there is a uprising simply because they dont want to be cast out and end up on the streets with the poor or killed for disobeying. Would they kill their own family members, maybe.
The North Koreans are straight up brain washed. They LOVED their "Great Leader." They not only think of their dead leader as a demigod, they think the same of their new leader (whom ever that is), & will all die for their country without thinking.
IT all depends on the military. Which way will it fall. Will it continue to support the feudal dictatorship of the Kim family. A series of inept and brutal rulers or will the military change to support the North Korean people.
Military intervention has proved it's failure and we have Iraq as an example, democracy and freedom doesn't come from occupation,it's from the citizens themselves,in Libya we lost fifty thousand man to gain and breath freedom for the first time, it happened in the US too during the civil war.
I have to agree with the author that a North Korean uprising is extremely unlikely, at least in the current regime. North Korea maintains control of its people by keeping them near starvation and under unimaginable brutality worse than any Arab nation. And as the author states, with no means of rapid communication, no uprising could get a foothold before the regime would quash it, publicly execute any persons associated with it, and imprison their families in a gulag where they'll eventually be worked and/or beaten to death or worse. (North Korea tests out new chemical weapons on entire families in those gulags.)
And the public executions are intentionally designed to be horrendous, both to maximally punish the offender as well as to instill as much terror in the public as possible. For example, Christian ministers have been tied, lain on a road surface, and crushed by steamrollers – head first. Witnesses reported the sounds of heads popping like balloons.
It's an ugly place, folks, led by one of the most evil men in the world.
You would think feet first would be worse, letting them feel their bodies crushed and see their death comming. Crushing them head first is more humane as twisted as that sounds.
any citations for these comments, Tony?
One bad year and the farmers starve since the crops get sent to the cities and to feed the army. With no farmers the cities and army go down a couple months later. A year after that South Korea repopulates the place.
Do you really believe that??? Or do you really think we all live in the bible belt to believe such stories?
Executions by head crushing of misionaires???? First of all no misionaries had been executed, second North Korea executes by firing squad not like the very democratic Saudi Arabia that can cut your hands or ears od lapidate you or cut your head slowly with a knife for religious reasons, they do kill misionaires
No Christians ministers in north Korea ... Write a complaint letter to your congressman!
I also agree with the author that regime change in North Korea will not happen. We have enough problems here dealing with the economy and all. Sooner or later North Korea will have to face the grim reality of it's present situation, and they will be forced to make some hard and fast decisions. I personally believe we need to keep a very watchful eye on the North because they are like any wounded animal who is backed into a corner. Sooner or later they will rise up and strike back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHEN TWO ECONOMIC SYSTEMS ARE ALLOWED TO COMPETE ON SAME GROUNDS THEN ONLY PEOPLE WILL HAVE TASTE OF REAL FREEDOM IF ONE SYSTEM OPPRESSESS THE VOICE OF OTHER SYSTEM THE FREEDOM IS JUST MOCKERY!!!
AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Hmm – sounds like the Obama-nation to me.
Another foolish post.
Yeah, but you're tone deaf.
Hey just think. When the GOP regain power, they will start a war with Iran (totally unfunded of course). Then they will draft all the poor people to fight(die) in the war (just like the GOP wants) and give "no bid" contracts to the rich people. Killing two birds with one stone!!! Then we can use Iran's oil to pay for the war. And when the war is over, Iran will sell us cheap oil!!! Just like Iraq........Oh wait........Never mind.
I can only hope your number comes up early in that draft.
I agree with you!
Ahh, good one! The problem is that GOPgreed would run north over the border before serving the country that allows his/her freedoms...then come back at soonest oppurtunity (most likely when another far left leaning liberal is in office)..
US army is not drafted but all volunteers.
Did you even read the article? Or are you just "special?"
Mr. GOPGreed is very special indeed. He keeps me humored all day long.
"Hey just think." you bleat? I suggest that you take your own advice in the future before you make a complete fool of yourself yet again.
To "GOPisGreed..." : My heavens, what a foolish post.
The military does not want a draft. two reasons (1) they need trained people. (2) you can't trust a draftee. Give him a gun and you don't know which side he will shoot at.
But yes i agree 100% if one of the GOP clowns who are running for present gets elected we can count on world war three. (No not all in the GOP are clowns, but by weird luck only the clowns are running this time around.)
Soon we won't have to worry about the draft or the all volunteer force!!!! O'bama and his party are doing a splendid job all by their selves of putting this country in harms way
No silly the Draftees of WW1 didn't turn on each other, not the draftees of WW2, not the Draftees of the Korean War and the Draftees of the Vietnam war didn't either, Yes I know there were a few isolated fraggings ( I was in Viet Nam for 2 years)But by and large there fragging happened because of personal differences and untrained personnel both officers and enlisted. . If the Army is afraid of the people of the country it is high time for a draft.
North Korea will either desire to join South Korea, or be swallowed up in a power play by China when Kim Jong Il dies.
didnt you learn anything from the wikileaks. china doesn't want North Korea and willing to give full authoritative control to South Korea if Nkorea collapses as long as no US troops are stationed in Nkorea. The cost to maintain nkorea is considered economically unviable to China and does not fit into china's interest.
China has to keep North Korea standing. It's their buffer zone between them and the United States. They do not want the Republic of Korea on their boarder, in their view it's basically the United States on their boarder.
North korea is more of an economical, political liability to china. Also North Korea serves very little military advantage for China. South Korea is more profitable to China and China expressed that. Cold war mentality is over
I totally agree!!! China is not interested in North Korea. Their interests are aimed towards the U.S. and other places..
I'm not so sure South Korea would want to, or be able to, pay the bills for the starving, uneducated, no resources North. Think we got a welfare problem? NK would make it look like nothing, provided you don't count Mississippi...
South Korea very much wants to reunite with North Korea as a democratic, capitalist Republic of Korea.
They still share separated family surviving members. They still share the same language and history.
Many people got divided randomly during the Korean war not because they chose which one to join.
Defected North Koreans even have reunification plan of some sort. 24 millions North Koreans are a lot for 50 million South Koreans to take care of but thy would think it's worth it.
East and West Germanies reunited, but with a lot of pain, yes.
I didn't think China wants both Koreas to reunite at all. if they do, that would be great.
I don't know any North Koreans personally, but I've read a lot of books about them. I think that you might be surprised by the strength of the average North Korean. If they didn't have that inhuman system keeping them down, if they were allowed to make their own common sense decisions, they'd be ok.
Sometimes it was a story of a bad situation in Yugoslavia, a world powers intervened and now we are living worse than before. In Libya, Gaddafi was said to hold the regime under cruel control, Libya is now ruined and will need decades to recover. What to say about North Korea?! We all have to ask ourselves about in which way is someone else making a certain price tag and selling them to the masses, which I'll call news.
Ruined? Decades to recover? What total krap. Libya took very little infrastructure damage at all, and what damage was done can be rebuilt, and improved in a matter of months. The country is free from a brutal dictator in one of the most sucessful and efficient military regime changes in the modern world.
Regime change, Obama style.
seriously ... Obama Style? People voting in the United States is not the same as a militant uprising resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. ...Americans are spoiled and inundated in the life of privilege. American poverty is considered upper middle class in most countries and the closure of a Starbucks of Walmart is considered a crisis. I think only the Troops of America truly know the suffering that others must endure. Too bad US troops only consist of .6% of the America's population ..so ... therefore only .6% of America appreciates what they have at home.
@ guest - what a pathetic and ignorant anti-American broad brush stroke of complete nonsense. I'm an American and I never heard of a Starbucks in a Walmart. McDonald's, sure, but Starbucks? Please. And yes, I know what it's like to suffer. I ordered a Quarter Pounder with cheese the other day, drove off, and then realized, when it was far too late that they bagged a Quarter Pounder WITHOUT the cheese!!! Why? Because the dang drive through person didn't speak a lick of english. Ruined my day and just thinking about it now, I'm reliving the trauma of that tragic moment.
lol i see what you did there
you can NOT seriously think that things in the former Yugoslavia are worse now than they were before. I've been there both before and after the area gained it's freedom and the difference is night and day. It was a near 3rd world country before, never mind the fact they had no freedom.
Another great article from the best political writer around, FZ!
Yea, he nailed it. Brief, to the point, all the important stuff is in there.
Now it's up to us, the bloggers, to fill in all the unprovable speculation.
North Korea's "freedom" will happen when China swallows it whole 4 seconds after Kim dies. On a positive note, "freedom" in China is probably a couple orders of magnitude better than life in North Korea.
Either way, as long as not a single dime of my taxes pays for any of this garbage, I really don't care.
china does not want North Korea. If they korea collapses they said they will close their borders and allow South Korea to mop up the mess.
To whom or what are you referring to as "garbage"? Believe me, your tax dollars are already at work on the Korean peninsula. And you should care ... These are people who have suffered incredible atrocities for over a century and deserve freedom.
Someone needs to do a little traveling... Or reading.
Looks like you're already proved wrong. (but we knew that)
1. China is not our friend. They just own us. 2. From what I understand, NK's prisons a chock full of the opposition. Those are the ones that weren't executed.
More "China owns us" propaganda. China owns a very small portion (about 8 percent) of US debt. The Social Security Trust Fund is the biggest holder of U.S. debt.
"they own us" ??? Let's see we got products worth billions of dollars from them.....they got warehouses full of "IOU's"
( paper! ) LOL . Oh Yeah! They got us!!!!
North Korea looks like a giant Jones town to me, eventually their hardships will be more then any human can bare, I think suicides en-masses is only a matter of time. really sad
Hopefully English is a second language for you.
Does CNN require any of its "writers" to actually KNOW anything about which they write?
no.
No
Does CNN require any anonymous internet commentaries to actually know anything? The answer is obviously no.
That law would never allply to ole Zak. He writes whatever pops into his mind at any given momemt and ihasn't a clue nearly 75% of the time.
Prove it. Prove to me that 75 percent of what he says is wrong. I'm not from Missouri, but you still have to "Show me!!"
It's so interesting to read claptrap like yours, knowing full well that you're actually speaking about yourself, vs. Fareed Zakaria. People like you who puff yourselves up, and proclaim proudly your good old fashioned horse sense, vs. them edumucated clueless elitists, prove that the world is better off with educated elitists, than some of you "horse sense" 'real folks'.
"the real Nth Korea tarhet" is in connection with China, I believe.... However the USA (Obama) may strive for peace ALSO.
There isn't a chance in the world the unarmed, half starving masses could do anything other than commit mass suicide.
It would take a coup of unexpected courage, humanity and vision to end the regime – and that ain't gonna happen because there is NO humanity, courage or vision in the regime, anywhere.
Nowhere in the article does Zakaria mention this is a brutal COMMUNIST dictatorship. Why?
What does that have to do with anything? Brutal dictatorships come in all shapes and sizes.
I agree with TTH.
Oh, I know! I betcha it's because everyone already knows that.
We actually need a better moniker than "communist", but what can we do? The word was co-opted in quite Orwellian fashion to pretend that soviet regimes, which practiced command economies, were allegedly instruments of the proletariat. Hence, if the apparatchiks ran the economy, it was sold as communism. In actuality, these command economies run more like feudalism, wherein fealty to a single liege or his party endows the talented with fiefdoms. What regimes choose to label themselves and what they actually are can be two different things– never judge a regime by it's label, especially one it gives itself. In fact, North Korea is more feudal monarchy than communist, at least in the Marx-Engels description.
And what else do you call communism ?
I know in your idealist little world of peace and harmony everyone working together and sharing communism works. Unfortunately, there is one basic flaw in your idealism., you forget to take into account human nature.
Good post. Almost as bad as believing that what a regime refers to itself as is true, is believing that what the US government refers to it as it true hah.
Read last paragraph of the article.
You obviously didn't fully read the article. Besides implying the brutality of the North Korean regime throughout the article Zakaria ends with:
"But it is worth remembering that in a time of mass global unrest and popular uprisings, North Korea remains a highly secretive, brutal dictatorship enslaving its people – arguably the world's worst regime".
What more do you need?
I just noticed your emphasis on "COMMUNIST". Why the obsession that it be called a COMMUNIST Dictatorship. Many regimes have been and are still brutal dictatorship and are not COMMUNIST. Should we have called the ex brutal regimes of South America "Brutal CAPITALIST dictatorships". Communism in itself does not lead to brutality. It is the dictators using a belief system to their monstrous ends. The religious belief systems are the ones that are really worrysome because many of the oppressed actually believe in the religious system.
"Communism in itself does not lead to brutality" – Wrong, communism always lends itself to dictatorships. In every situation where communist dictatorships prevail, someone or some group of people have felt that their ideals are better than anyone else’s and there can be no discontent or differing opinion. How to enforce that ? Military and rule with an iron fist. Your communist ideals are so valuable that they cannot be proven wrong at any cost.
The term "communist government" is in itself a conundrum. None have ever existed. By the same defination, neither has a true democracy, republic, or monarchy. For instance, what monarchy has ever existed where the king has solely governed a nation. They always have minister, or chancellors are delegated tasks beneath the king. In this fashion, these people actually wield more power than the king himself. The king cannot be aware of the actions and intentions of every man, and the men can cooperate to conspire to do things without the king's knowledge, even in his name.
On the opposite side is the Democracy, and Repubic. Democracy being mob rule cannot exist. If 51% want and 49% want not, the wants prevail. But someone must execute the will of the 51%. And if the 49% do not submit, you do not have democracy, you have war.
No, EVERY government that has EVER existed has been an Oligarchy. A rule by an elite few. Often times, using those under them as pawns, and those above them as figurehead scapegoats.
Thus has been the history of mankind to present day.
Mr Happy, you are somehow failing to comprehend the obvious.
@JasonK You are most certainly wrong about what you said about feudalistic governments. Kings in the dark ages and up until the renaissance or at least until the signing of the Magna Carta most certainly had ultimate and total power. With the example of Charles Martel who led basically a union of villages under his total rule to conquer most of Gaul and eventually eradicate Islam throughout Europe with the exception of Spain. And then his grandson went on to be named Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope. Thus uniting many different kingdoms of dark age Europe under his rule. Of course no King can get down and do all of the dirty work in his kingdom. But few people in history have had higher authority than men like these and anyone under them may have made decisions but were only vassals of the king rather than real authoritative figures. SO shut up with your sheriff of Nottingham nonsense and welcome to real life where communism is a REAL life thing and has proven to make greedy men out of the rising proletariat and dead men out of the once intelligent and elite
Ken is ignorant about what "Communism" actually is. As written by Marx/Engels it is a system where everyone is equal, lives the same lifestyle, wears the same type of clothes, eats the same food. There has never been a "Communist" government anywhere in the world. The former USSR under Lenin was Leninism, under Stalin it was Stalinist; add the successive leaders name through the years to Gorbachev. China under Mao was Maoism and currently is a oligarchy. North Korea under the Kim's has been Kim-ism, as the leaders family and ruling military are living a privileged lifestyle compared to the rest of its society.
The reason why Communism will never work as a form of society rule is due to personal ego, where decision makers think they deserve more/ better living conditions than the rest of the population it rules over.
thats exactly what Ken said. youre the one who is ignorant. just because lenin thought that a country should have centralized leadership does not mean that his ideals were any less communist. as you will probably correct me socialists like yourself will try to keep your distance from these names and dictatorships as much as possible because you like a child believe that there is still chance for these systems to work. so i say this with the utmost objectivity that i can give being the generous capitalist that i am. MOVE TO CHINA YOU CANDY A S S COMMIE!!!
North Koreans believe that Kim can put his finger on a map and crush the city depicted there, and that he does it often. So no, they won't rebel against their God.
Kim needs an intimate relationship with a .50 BMG..........
Could be NK's now may be our future, a true case of "To have and have not", so, which side would you like to be born in?
The reality is that communist countries are inendated, old fashioned, traditional and reluctant to change their political system to resemble those outside of what they have always known. Let's face it, North Korea is no Berlin or East Germany. But speaking of Berlin, perhaps if we were to show them videos of how the Berlin wall came down and two countries eventually uniting after decades of strife, perhaps it would have some impact on the North Korean government to move towards democratic change. There's a saying a picture is worth a thousand words but could it be the other way around too? In other words, what if the South Korean government was to say to the North, want to be friends as in becoming one country again? Wouldn't that be a picture worth seeing? Sort of like Ronald Reagan saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall." As they say, where there is a will there is a way. Sort of like asking a pretty girl out. If you don't ask then you don't know what my be the end result. So I say to the South, call up the North on the phone tomorrow and say, do you want to unite as one? hey, I think its possible. Just ask Mr. Gorbachev! You never know!
Unfortunately, it's not so easy to give good ol' NK a ring and ask to be friends. I think it'd be good for you to do a little reading on the matter of NK and SK relations. And most (the vast majority) of N Koreans have no access to outside media or information of any kind. They're forcibly cut off from the rest of the world and indoctrinated to believe there is nothing else, no other way of living, other than that of the N Korean regime. One can only hope, that something will spur change in that country without extreme violence having to be involved. However, when that day comes, it will be a huge financial burden to those countries involved.
Joe, that would maybe work if the North was a "hot girl" and not a dirty, fat, sow. The only thing the North wants is the south squashed and under its control, and the only thing the South wants is for the North to go away so they can have more land.
As it stantds, the South doesn't need or even really want the North. It is in every way more advanced, and prosperous. And most of the people in the North, no a life no differently. Change is a scary thing, more so when its your entire lifestyle.
It would have to start with the Generals turning. Just don't see it happening – yet.
let them try and see how the mad men controlling this country will kill them...you think arabs are bad, wait and see what Kim and his croonies will do..this will shock the world...remember what Mao said about nuclear war? it doesnt matter if they lose a couple of million people. North korea aint rising any time soon and noone will go there to bother them, so just ignore them until things change cus no matter how long the night is, the day will always break. so one day a good leader or the military will turn on the dear leader and take him and his family or dynasty out....
The North Korean people should rise up and overwhelm the government there. What have they got to lose, it just might be better to die for an attempt at freedom than to live under those conditions the rest of their lives and future family lives. Maybe they should stop having kids and let the regime die out like a candle that uses up all it's wax fuel.
Why? We still do it in America and Europe...not much worth living for there either. What is your measure to determine the worth of an existance?
I live in America, and my dream is to be a vegetable farmer. A dream I will never realize because I don't have gobs of land, nor any way to purchase said land.
By your standard, I should march on Washington with a gun (which don't get me wrong isn't a bad idea, if you're a few 100k strong).
Obviously though, if there's 24 million of them, there must be something keeping them going. After all, you can't miss what you never had originally.
Since you can't see the difference between your desire/dream to be a vegetable farmer and the North Koreans' desire/need to eat (i.e. live), I'll give you a hint. One is worth starting a revolution over....but it won't happen.
You imply that the average North Korean understands that there is a better life, but they do NOT. They believe what they are told because it is the only information they have. You underestimate the level of brainwashing in their society.
Alergic:The Pretender in Chief will fall back on his Jimmy Carter dcootrine and do absolutely nothing but make speeches and blow a lot of wind.Hey, I have an idea ... He should invade Thailand or somethime ...SnerdReplyLike or Dislike: 0 0
this isn't the Arab Spring. This is a totally different scenario. North Korea, for the large part, is completely cut off. There IS no way for the civilians to enact regime change on their own.
I think you'll love Australia. I've only vsietid Sydney but am looking forward to seeing more of it someday.
We need to swoop in there and get these people and give them asylum here so we can pick their brains for intelligence info on this country.
I was happy to see that Mr Zakaria doesn´t trust South Korean sources. But even if more than 1% of the people in NK
have heard of the Arab spring, they may not think the result so far seems like paradise...
I was happy to see that Mr Zakaria doesn´t trust South Korean sources. But even if more than 1% of the people in NK
have heard of the Arab spring, it's not certain they would see the result so far as a paradise worth aiming at.
Mr. Zak should write about the 99%ers in NK. This is a nation where 1% truely are in control of the country and are the only ones that are allowed to have outside world access.
I think most North Koreans are either too brainwashed, out of the loop, (the reason KJ doesn't want these people back), or just plain beaten down to muster up the strength or courage to revolt unless the military join in.
Revolutions can't happen without cell phones and online chat? When people are mistreated they will always rebel... eventually. We're wired that way.
Why was this written? No really, I want someone to literally answer this question. This is like publishing a piece on "Snow is Cold". No $h!t really? Holy crap who would have thought. Is there a single piece of "news" here? It all sounds like "olds" to me. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell the public that there will be no Revolution in N. Korea. Because if something changed in the past 50 years it would have already happened.
Nicely done Zakaria, if I did my job like you did yours I wouldn't have one for long.
China should be ashamed of themselves
why should they? mexican and other south americans suffer just below your country and i dont see you feeling ashame.
Wow that comment is so far from even being remotely logical I can't even imagine which of the 100 ways to easily refute it I should use 1st.
How stupid are you?
Notwithstanding that Zakaria is a dreamer and a wishful thinker, I like the idea of a Korean Spring. But it must not be bloody. Instead of bombs, the world should drop food from drones. Over a period of time, a year perhaps, is food is dropped consistently each day, this will predispose the Korean people favorably, and may even cause the defunct regime to collapse!
Once a nation turns into zombies, there is nothing you can do.
Cuba also has a brutal regime that needs to go down. Why hasn't CNN talked about human trafficking in Cuba and the human rights abuses under the Castro's? Why aren't any of the Cuban dissidents regarded by CNN as heroes?
CNN doesn't cover the Cuban government because they are slowly going away from Communism by themselves. The government is starting to allow people to buy and sell land and property and is nothing compared to NK.
What a lot of people don't seem to understand is that in all likelihood there is very little interest in North Korea for regime change. As far as the masses are concerned the regime is protecting them from the outside world and those being killed in public executions are terrorist or worse. This brainwashing has gone on for generations now and has been most effective. I pity the people of North Korea but there really is no hope for them as far as I can see.
They're to emaciated to do anything but moan and drool.
Slaves don't start revolutions. NK citizens are basically slaves, all of them. Just like black African slaves in the early USA Each of them is assigned to a small area of land and they are not permitted to move off of it without a written permit. they are not allowed to communicate with anyone outside of that small area. They may not assemble in groups without government permission. Every school every farm and factory has a government observer.
In the US before the civil war there were some slave revolts but they never got very far because slaves can't organize on a large scale.
The huge un-solvable problem is that without more freedom and open communication their economy will never advance. They will be as poor as they are now while over the coming decades the rest of the world moves forward. People in China who once were poor farmers are now moving to the city and buying cars, this will never happen in NK. At some point the whole thing will fall apart. Put in 10 years or 50 years? I don't know.
there is no need to go to war with North Korea.Just stop the food shipments and starve them.An army marches on it's stomach.Given the brutal winters in NK a soldier deprived of food would not be an effective fighter.Stop feeding our enemies.
I live in Korea, and there is a MAJOR DIFFERENCE between N. Korea and the rest of the world.
N. Koreans simply don't know how truly far behind their country are...For the past 60 years they have been in their own little world. They have very little idea of what the rest of the world is like, and the news that they do get it heavily filtered, twisted, and censored. And it has been like that FOREVER.
I got the chance to talk to a defector and he said they always had a gut feeling outside of N. Korea it was a better world, but never really knew how much of a better world. Well his family over the years had dwindled down, a fire in their farm home killed the majority of his family. He was a solider on the DMZ and one night he said that he figured his family in N. Korea was gone, so he didnt' fear what would happen to his family if he left so he defected to S. Korea.
When he arrived he was shocked to see a city just 50 miles away from N. Korea of Seoul one of the largest, and economically successful cities in the entire world with 20 million people (almost the entire population of his country) booming. Another thing that shocked him was the amount of food available.
He said they always had a feeling the outside world was better, but never knew exactly how much better. And if you defect your family can end up going to prison so many decide not to risk it.
Unlike the Arabs the N. Koreans don't know what they are missing out on.
There is a very real difference between N. Korea and anything else...
Sounds like a story from America – did you tell the fella that he needs many dollars to buy the food – that is so plentiful. Did you take him to the Strip Clubs? I see many a protestor in South Korea today fearing this free trade agreement with the US. You should go and live in some places in the US today – its as desolate as North Korea – a lot of poverty but lots of tainted canteloupes – get real and visit the world – ever been to China?
Are you attacking this korean guy? you seriously think America and China and N korea are censored the same way?
1) ordinary citizen like you and me can comment like this in US.
2) you probably can't access this website in China.
3) there is virtually no internet in N korea.
it's not the same, is it?
they censor news all over the globe – ask Fa-greed
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The author is naive. It's beyond easy for the Dear Leader to prevent the spread of anything, and that has been done throughout North Korean history, namely: to send all those people to work camps to be re-educated, i.e. to make them forget what they learned through hard labor North Korean style. That's a normal practice in North Korea, and they have been doing it for years. So, it is rather something other than the fear by the North Korean government of the spread of pro-revolutionary movement inside North Korea that keeps those North Korean specialists in Libiya, and other countries outside North Korea.
Since China is their only ally, let them carry the burden of feeding them. If they continue to starve, well, no harm for the rest of the true democratic countries in the region. No country should afford them a single penny.
No
To all those above – a friendly recommendation: Go there and see for yourselves!
How narrow can the vision of Pyongyang be? One day the dog of reality will bite them in their posterior and the struggle will be bloody. It is a certainty the iron fist of repression will not last forever.
Once a Communist revolution occurs and a Communist government is in power, their leaders quickly become the next 1%. America may have a very wealthy power structure but at least we're able to (for the most part) put food on the table.
Many poor in America are overweight, many of their poor are skin and bones.
the only thing that will rise up are sandusky's pants – when he goes to prison.
No, the North Koreans will not "rise up". They will die in-place and no one outside will care, just as it has always been.
Dear Mr. Zakaria:
Absolutely true – Kim Jhong-II is a tyrant to his own people, iand that the gifted, hardworking, long suffering N.Koreans deserve something far better than this monster. In fact the greatest thing that can happen is a unification of the two Koreas which was earlier divided artificially due to cold war politics. And, It's also true that Kim is a grave threat to S.Korea.
But what's NOT true is the hype that N.Korea is a huge threat to America....which it clearly is NOT. In fact N.Korea developed nuclear weapons purely as a defensive measure to ward off any US annexation. Inspite of having no hard cash, the N.Koreans haven't gone on selling their nuclear technology (even though they have sold some low level Missile technology) to other rogue nations......surely NO WHERE near ISLAMI C PAKISTAN!
You said "in fact, Pyongyang issued a statement in March simply saying Libya's dismantling of its nuclear weapons program made it more vulnerable to western intervention".
Are you aware how many FAR GREATER DIRECT THREATS PAKISTAN has issued against the US & Europe (forget against their adversary India). Do you want me to list them all right from President Zardari, PM Gilani, Inetrior Minister Rehamn Malik, Army Chief Kayani, ISI chief Pasha to low level operatives?
MR. ZAKARIA – WILL YOU EVER CALL FOR DISMANTLING (if necessary by force) the ISLAMIC BOMBS OF PAKISTAN which is a grave threat to........just to remind you – YOUR OWN FORMER HOMELAND INDIA, and YOUR ADOPTED HOMELAND AMERICA?
Mr. ZAKARIA – CAN INDIANS & AMERICANS EVER TRUST YOU WITH NOT SIDING WITH YOUR CO-RELIGIONISTS (TRANSGRESSING ALL INTERNATIONAL BORDERS) ON THIS ISLAMIC BOMB ISSUE.......AT LEAST?
Please remember Mr. Zakaria, you can TRY to shore up all your credentials by writing on diverse topics (many of which you know nothing about!) in your quest for the US Sec. of State position, but you can never convince KNOWLEDGEABLE INDIANS & AMERICANS, that all these efforts are NOT geared towards capturing that coveted office, and you don't have an ISLAMIC AGENDA!!
Agreed
While I agree with almost everything you explain in your post, I strongly disagree with you on Fareed's "islamic" agenda. He is part of the same group as Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski, the same person who had the great idea of creating OBL to fight the left leaned Afg government and who became America's worse enemy later on. Fareed is part of Council of Foreign Relations, a think tank harboring some of the creepiest creatures of our times and is often invited to Bilderberg group meetings. He is no muslim. His dream is to be part of the elite and he would sell his soul for it.
occisil:
I respectfully disagree with you.
On my former countryman (& current countrymans) Fareed Zakaria's agenda here's a response I wrote in one of these columns.
Mr. Zakaria is smart, intelligent, knowledgeable (ONLY in certain areas!) but NOT the least naive or even a liberal in the general sense. Being a Muslim, like the VAST MAJORITY of Muslims in the world he hates America, Israel and also his own former homeland India's polcies in Muslim majority Kashmir & against the Muslim minority in the rest of India.
Like his brethern he believes (or deliberately portrays!) that the entire non-Muslim world is ganged up against Islam. Lot of people confuse his SUGAR COATED msgs. as proof that he is all fair & balanced, w/o realizing that it's all a PLOY to TRAP gullible Americans into his line of thinking.
His efforts are analogous to what is known as HONEY POT in Information Technology, where security professionals LURE potential hackers by promising a rich loot of privacy info etc., when in reality are fed junk. Mr. Zakaria's approach is about the same, with just one exception, the roles are reversed here!
And ofcourse he loves America......for all the opportunities he has for money, fame & freedoms which is UNAVAILABLE in any Muslim land, but is available to a limited extent in my (& his) former homeland India (of today!).
I have written quite extensively to expose this man. I could in fact write a thesis on him if ONLY I had the time!
Amit-Atlanta-USA
"North Korea remains a highly secretive, brutal dictatorship enslaving its people – arguably the world's worst regime."...and good buddies with Hugo Chavez, too.
The Noko's rise up? Are you kidding me? It would make what's going on in Syria right now look like a picnic. The Kim dynasty would nuke their own people before they forfeit power.
China does not want North Korea from the standpoint of absorption and also from the standpoint of having to deal with a large ethnic group issue. 24 million Koreans plus the millions more lving in China, represent a sizeable ethnic minority, and a threat to China's stability. Ergo, prop up the regime in North Korea, and support power succesion. I think we should be worried more about a Chinese Spring, than a North Korean Spring. China is a powder keg of ethnic tensions; add to the mix a rapidly increasing gap between the rich and the poor.
Finally, North Korea is resource rich. How much so? Unknown, but significant enough to warrant Chinese interest in continued support of a de facto defunct regime. Also, the fact that China is intrested in building infrastructure for trade, and pouring in hard currency to boost trade, signals some interest in maintaining the status quo.
Finally, no North Korean Spring. I think you need a Summer to melt this regime away.
Kim Il Jung death could signal the beginning of social and political reformation in North Korean. A purging of the old generals and their croonies from their high lofts could be expected. And some sort of election would be held to elect a socialist Government. Commerce is eventually expected to pickup as the new half democracy experiments with capitalism.
China and South Koea, and the rest of APEC, would be roped in to invest in North Korea, provide relevant training and opening jobs for North Koreans. North Korean would be the new cheap labor factory for the world. But I think wealthy China would be the biggest investor, because it has of past close ally with N Korea.
Its only when North Koreans at large are finally enjoying the fruits of capitalism and social freedom that the next big happening would take place. Reunification with South Korea.
I think every North Korean is simply waiting for their old and terminally ill dictator to go, before any drastic change could take place in their impoverished country.
so much BS Fareed. You are just making things up as you go such as: " they don't want their doctors back because they don't want their people to see Arab spring". You should call your program "News as you go"!
You are absolutely right.
I have a pretty detailed reply here on Mr.Zakaria's TURN-COAT Journalism:
Check it out.
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/07/report-poverty-does-not-breed-extremism/#comment-38712
But Fareed, North Korea only exists at the whim of your good friends in Beijing? How about we pray for regime change in China, which has supported nearly every brutal dictatorship from Sudan to Libya with weapons, money, and at times its UN veto power? Strike at the root of evil if you want change.
Leaving out, of course, the fact that the US government has also bankrolled the Taliban (albeit on the advice of the Pakistani ISI), Muammar Qaddafi, Jonas Savimbi and Binyamin Netanyahu (to name but a few). States always have and always will support regimes, dictators and revolutionaries who share their views and support their interests. And of course, the US has never used its veto to help put a stop to the suppression of the Palestinian people, has it? In the past ten years, only 7 UN Security Council resolutions concerning Palestine have made it past the US, and none of them condemning Israel. When you talk about halting support for oppression, why not start at home?
The author questions how South Korean papers can estimate that only 1% of North Koreans have heard of the Arab Spring, yet he seems to accept UNICEF's report that millions of North Korean children are at risk of being malnourished, are vulnerable to disease and likely to have stunted growth. I don't disagree with UNICEF. It's probably true to some extent, but for the same reasons one cannot conclude accuracy of the 1%, one cannot conclude accuracy in the UNICEF report based on a sample survey and a slew of hypotheticals and estimates. North Korea is a closed society. Any figures they might release will be self-serving and not indicative of the real situation.
China could provide the answer to this sticky problem with North Korea, after Kim Il Jong II is gone. I believe everything to do with North Korea is put on hold because of one depostic, drunken and irrational dictator. The sooner he dies the better it will be for North Korea.
What China could do is transfer most of its labor intensive lower end manufacturing factories to N Korea. China should concentrate on higher end products to export. Serious R & D is already in progress in China, for such higher value products.
China's investment should encourage North Korea to behave and follow international standard of behaviour.
I hat to say it, but It could be funny, it was not so unbelievably stupid. Why would Mr. Zakaria, an educated person, write such drivel. Believe it or not, a number of Americans intermittently visit the DPRK. AND, are not taken into custody, like the Koran-American businessman who had a visa, but violated the laws by snooping.
The NK press "simply does not report on any [uprising]...., obviously for fear of sparking protests within North Korea." Well, ironically, the US press does not report on the fact that there is free education and health care in Korea, and that the population has a high literacy rate. Thus we get misinformation, e.g. razmataz writes, "the vast majority [military] are uneducated cannon fodder. ComSenseWiz writes, "the vast majority of people in NK are starving..." Yet Wolf Blitzer, who roamed around at will in Pyongyang last yea did not see such but did see many people, adequately dressed crowding into the subway system going about the usual daily errands and jobs; and children playing on the streets.i am certain the doctors and nurses [educated in the DPRK to be so], mentioned in the article, were sent out much as he ones sent out by the Cuban government for good will. And were not as j.vonhettingen says, "..., sends its citizens to work in factories." "The vast majority of people in NK are starving," says ComsenseWiz. The UNESCO report said there "May" be a problem for a million children. Well, there may be an earthquake in Los Angles tomorrow. I don't question that life in the DPRK is challenging. When life is challenging, imagination, education, multiple skills and intelligence is important and necessary. "Robots" and uneducated persons are a drag on progress. You may not like the DPRK, but its government is not run by stupid people, supported by a majority of its citizens. If it was, there would be uprisings and mass discontent. Look at Haiti!!!
Are you serious?
Firstly, the fact that 'there is free education and health care in Korea' is not a news event, and the free press doesn't operate by reporting non-events. Sure, they may not focus enough on it in DPRK-related stories, but once again, they're free press and work by reporting one side of the story, not both. Meanwhile, the Arab Spring is most certainly a newsworthy event. The fact that the state-owned KCNA has not reported it shows that it is in the government's interest to alert the citizens to the possibility of revolution.
Secondly, are you suggesting that the starving refugees who flee North Korea are in fact providing misinformation when they speak of feral children in the countryside and 200,000 political prisoners in forced-labour camps? Wolf Blitzer's tour of the capital is all well and good, but Pyongyang is a Potemkin village, massively separated from the conditions of the rest of the country.
Thirdly, it is widely accepted that at least 3.5 million North Koreans have starved to death since 1995, and the UN has reported that 37% of children in the DPRK are chronically malnourished. There is no 'may' about it.
And finally, if you don't define 'stupid' as spending 24% of your budget on the military while millions of people in your country are literally starving to death, then I don't know how else you might choose to classify it. And Kim Jong-Il's regime has stolen, rather than gained, the support of its citizens through a vast indoctrination program. As long as the military is kept on-side with silent menace and extra food rations, then the people will stand no chance of an uprising, and they know this.
Do not be so quick and eager to believe the opposite to what the Western press tell you – it is sometimes true. Or do you think that the Arab Spring is a fabrication of theirs as well?
The problem with many Americans is they are overly inward looking. Americans are mostly ignorant of foreign politics or issues for that matter. What is there so interesting about America that we should be paying more attention to this country? USA government is already bankrupt and could become insolvent for the next 20 years . No money no talk guys. The future is Asia, so it makes more sense to talk about whats going on politically about Asian countries, in order to eductate those politically immature Americans.
All other countries are worse than North Korea, for we have full knowledge of the horrors those people endure,
yet we do nothing.
Someday our grandchildren will find out what we knew, and they will hate us for being such selfish cowards.
I wonder why we don't hate our leaders during the 1930s and 40s for doing nothing to stop the Holocaust... Apparently our grandchildren WILL forget about what we knew, and they probably won't pay attention to what we should have done. I say we take a stand for these North Koreans; sure we're tight on cash, but that doesn't mean we can't do something daring? I say we offer North Korea a bold proposal: the world will end ALL sanctions against North Korea and start airlifting food into the nation IF they do these two things. First, they must hold democratic elections, and then they must recognize the sovereignty of the South and sign the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty. We will keep the ruling leaders free of all charges, but they must step down from power. The world must also make an international statement CONDEMNING the North Koreans and pledge support to ANY North Koreans who wish to change the government. I highly doubt that North Korea will accept any of these demands, but if we rouse some support among the oppressed, maybe we could ignite a rebellion, destroy the North's nukes, curtail China's influence in the North by forcing them to comply with international demands, and overthrow North Korea's oppressive regime like we did in Libya. This will probably not happen, but its still a suggestion.
Hey Freshieee, why dont you ask the millions of world war two veterans in the U.S.A. Great Britain, Canada, Austrailia, Greece and all of the other allies why we did nothing. You are one dumb sucker.
The NOKOs will never rise up simply because they can't. Their very existence is controlled by the government from the moment they're born. If anyone questions anything, they're either immediately executed or sent to concentration camps where immediate execution would be merciful. Heck, they were even executed if they weren't crying hard enough at Kim Sung Park's funeral.
How do you rise up against THAT?
Did Occupy Wall St. accomplish anything with all that "freedom" Amerika supposedly has?
I don't think so. Get real.
want to be young again, stop aging, eat only raw foods, not half baked cnn history, foods from the blender , sleep by ten, good music , and no news, fast on Mondays, low impact aerobics, no computer or cell phone, oh wait North Korea did that, and will reunify despite the one percenter cnn war mongering
You want a North Korean Revolt? Have the American Military team up with Apple computers, and instead of dropping bombs, they will drop Propaganda tapes produced by the Apple marketing team.
"The world should see what North Korea has done. In some ways it's a miracle.
If you want to take a nice vacation, take it in North Korea."
This was said not so long ago by Gus Hall, the fossil communist that so many young activists of the 1970's embraced as a spokesman. Others at the time knew he was so wrong on so so many levels. But so many of those activists will never admit their horrible mistake.
Even speaking of the idea of some sort of "rising up" in North Korea shows a complete ignorance of the situation there. – The depths that the government has gone through in manipulating and indoctrinating the masses through propaganda is 10 times more than what we ever saw during the likes of Mao's Cultural Revolution or Great Leap Forward.
Dedication to their leader is all they know. To even begin to have the idea that the masses think of anything happening within their own nation as "bad" or would EVER consider to attribute hardships to their beloved leader, is just ignorant.
OBAMA... 2012!!!!!!!!!!
At least we now know what kind of a murdering psychopath this Zacharia freak is.
All he can think of is revolutions and murdering people.
What a nut.
I always believe the statement: people gets the government they deserve.
I bet on a regime change within about 10 years. Not by uprising but by changes in the ruling class, IMHO.
No, they won't stand up.....too many decades of brainwashing.
He is survived by his son Menta Lee Ell.
No they won't rise up. They have all been brainwashed for decades. They don't know any better. They believe they are the luckiest citizens alive.
stockholm
Lets hope so, eh faheed?! Then you will have another story.
FZ is once again trying to comment above his pay grade.
Read the NEWS KIM JONG IL is DEAD!
even if there was an uprising, we probably couidnt get involved because China would get all weird about it. I think China would love to have our land because they are running out of space. Living on top of each other in some kind of honeycomb
building, sleeping in tubes.
i don't see an anti-communist uprising in asia real soon. with the dictators controlling the press and locking up anybody attempting to critize them. look at the 1989 uprising in china. they are now more richer and powerful than then. also the north koreans have many admires like iran and hugo chavez and the castro brothers
Time for the west to turn up the heat right now.....The old Kim could not be scared into the table.....The young Kim was educated in Switzerland and the west and surley has access that his people do not. It should be made clear very clear on not so certain terms that the west is not going to dick around. Otherwise if this puppy is not slapped and status quo remains we will have to deal with this 27 year old for ever!
Why you are absolutely right! The North Koreans will rise up indeed, and conquer South Korea once and for all!
Hello from Tokyo. Kim Jong Il passed away last weekend. Fareed your article is very timely, what do you have to say about the death of Kim Jong Il?
The North Korean people can't rise up; they're too weak from hunger.
The timely death of this tyrant calls for identifying new tyrants for those who live on ideology and many other purposes. Staving, violence and rise up, actually are common in many places Zakaria may be quite familiar but not willing to talk about. Whatever, authorities of international political correctness obviously are quite addicted to be selectively blind for eternal interests of, interest groups but not necessarily American people.
go ahead and kick me, but for years, i have prayed to the God of Christ for the fall of Castro, Chavez, Kim Jong il, Qdaffi, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, Bashar al-Assad, the generals in Myanmar, Farc, and others.....hum. Makes me think a bit.
me didn't pray stock fall. Bullet prayed for that.
How can one little, scrawny, sleazeball rule with absolute power in this modern age where a large percentage of his adversaries have nuclear bombs. Our enemy to the north of him{Communist China] is the answer. While we buy everything the Communists can dream up and ship to Wal-mart they are slowly formulatng a plan to take us over. Why is this so difficult for the American consumers to fathom? There happens to be an answer. Stop buying all the gadgets and gizmos and other junk and try to wean yourself off of Communist China's products. It does not take rocket science to figure out where all of our money is going. We are technically still at war with North Korea, so this twerps dying will not change anything.
If there is indeed a place called hell, I hope this pathetic creature gets the section where the temperature is the highest and the thermostat is set to the highest level.
For the sake of South Korea, the North's regime had better hold on. Here's why...if there was to be massive effort to overthrow the North's regime, there would be a massive migration from the North to the South. While the population of the North is less than that of the South, even the arrival of millions of starving North Koreans into the South would be a massive strain on their resources. If anything, the tide of uprising could spread to the South, as they have their own grievances against their respective government.
Sure, North Koreans will rise up ... for about two seconds before being slaughtered! North Koreans have a long way to go before they can be considered merely "repressed." Before people can rebel, they must be able to contemplate rebellion without peeing their pants.
I think a revolt is possible if the global community rallies behind one.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-North-Korea/241675149233968
Censored again by CNN in violation of my freedom of speech. One would think they would defend this freedom above all others.
Sadly, freedom of speech is now commonly trumped by political correctness.
Surprise, Surprise.
Why dont the North Koreans pick a leader by drawing names because they all have the same mentality and character.
bullet! Are you implying that North Koreans are soulless drones who behave more like insects than human beings? That's what I believe.
Hoss, If they were insects, they would be dung beetles.
Oh, you are so mean to fearress reader! Fearress reader rove us rong time!
They say that all good things must end, fortunately all bad things do also.
As a troll, I must protest this spate of silly trolling. When I was a lad, we took pride in learning to troll. We would spend hours creating complex, highly nuanced personas and, at just the right moment, spring our trap! Nowadays anything goes. Trolling has become little more than a debased hobby, a cheap thrill for the loner-crank. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to being fisted by my gay lover. Good day.
Well... Kim Jun IL is dead! Age 69. His son UN is going to take over and he may or may not have strong ties to the military. Hmm... Million man army?! lol , so did iraq. If you want NK to fall then stop buying junk made in China! I dont care if it is a part in a US company or another allie of ours. Dont buy it! If the Chineese do not have extra cash to spend on anyone then they cant. Cause noone else has the cash to give them either.
I think it's time the rest of the world started calling it "Kingdom of North Korea".
Thank you, Mr. Dumphuque. I dated a Karen Dumphuque in high school ... eh, it's probably a pretty common name.
I spy a brown eye.
"arguably the world's worst regime"? What's with the weasel words? Which regime is worse? Call it what it is. DPRK is the worst country on earth.
Castro, Stalin, Mao, Gahdafi, and now Jim Jong, all went to meet the devil. So Solly, compared to these guys Hitler was a saint.
They will remain the same, the people's spirit has been crushed beyond their ability to recover fast just because IL died today. They are going to need some time. It would be nice to see one united rational Korea.
North Koreans will not rise up.
They simply do not have the means to rise up.
Where would they get their weapons from?
There are only two ways the North Koreans will ever be free.
1. The son frees them.
2. North Korea starts a massive war requiring U.S. response that would be strong enough to crush North Korea.
George Vreeland Hill
There is a third possibility: George Vreeland Hill infects Korea's new leader with HIV, thus hastening his death and subsequent emergence of a less authoritarian form of government.
"Arab Spring" is akin to the "Nuclear Winter" that North Korea might become. Both of their masses have no intention of turning into a democracy. It is not in their cultural or political DNA to aspire to democracy.
Instead of us making speculations as to what should be the strategy, I think we should empower the people of North and if they want to achieve freedom they need to understand it comes at a cost and only they have to bear those costs just like any other freedom loving nation. The first chapter in the book of dictatorship to put fear IN and OUT. The last chapter is to follow the first chapter throughly & consistently.
Where can I get me one of dem nice tin foil hats too?
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