Editor’s Note: Gordon G. Chang is a columnist at Forbes.com. He is the author of The Coming Collapse of China and Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World. Follow him on Twitter.
By Gordon G. Chang - Special to CNN
On Friday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner announced that after North Korea’s failed but highly provocative long-range missile test, the U.S. would not provide “nutritional assistance” to the troubled state as contemplated by an agreement announced February 29. The operating assumption in Washington is that food aid helps the regime now headed by Kim Jong Un.
In some ways, that assumption is correct. Aid, after all, is fungible. Every dollar of food assistance means Kim’s government can devote one less buck to lowland agriculture and one more to improving the obvious defects of its long-range missiles.
There are many things that the Obama administration should be doing to stop North Korea’s missile program, but refusing to feed hungry and victimized people is not one of them.
In the late 1990s, perhaps as many as 3 million of the country’s 22 million people starved to death. Now we may be on the verge of another humanitarian crisis as recent harvests have been insufficient. Last year, three U.N. agencies determined that over 6 million North Koreans were in need of food assistance.
There’s no question that the Kim regime misuses food donations. In the past, Pyongyang diverted assistance from needy recipients to the military. The Korean People’s Army once took 5,000 tons of food aid at gunpoint in front of U.N. World Food Program officials. Tinned food from America was even found in a North Korean submarine that had run aground in a mission against South Korea.
Kim Jong Il, the second Kim to rule the North, also channeled donated food to the Pyongyang elite, thereby keeping its loyalty in a difficult period. Other aid has been sold on domestic markets, traded for arms, or reshipped to Africa as assistance from Kim’s Korea.
So Kimist Korea puts the rationale for humanitarian aid to the test. Yet despite everything, there is one good argument to ship “nutritional assistance.” Food aid, if distributed properly, can undermine Kim Jong Un’s still-fragile grip. The three Kim rulers have maintained power by keeping the North Korean people sealed off from the rest of the world so that their propaganda would remain believable.
Food aid, if properly monitored, can help end this control on information. Food monitors, present in the country to ensure no diversion of aid, give the North Korean people an opportunity to meet outsiders and thereby get a different perspective on the world - and on their own society.
Foreigners, by virtue of their presence, test the limits of the state’s system of surveillance. There are simply not enough local minders to watch over foreign workers, doctors, and food monitors. So it is not surprising that there has been unsupervised contact between foreigners and North Korean citizens when government minders have let down their guard.
Perhaps the most subversive consequence of the foreign presence is that government officials accompanying foreigners have now traveled inside their own country and seen the extent of the failures of their own system. Foreigners in the North present an unintentional challenge that the regime cannot win, at least in the long run.
That’s why Kim Jong Il, who died last December, often rejected food aid from the United States and the international community. If he knew how dangerous it was to accept aid with monitoring, perhaps we should insist on giving such assistance to his son.
On Sunday, the young leader, in his first address to the North Korean people, said he was making the military his “first, second and third” priorities, thereby doubling down on his father’s songun - “military first” - policy. Obviously, improving agriculture is somewhere toward the bottom of his list of things to do.
He also called his country “Kim Il Sung’s Korea,” referring to his infamous grandfather. Yet North Korea really belongs to its people, and Kim Jong Un’s first responsibility is making sure they have enough to eat. Now, therefore, would be a perfect time to shame the young dictator by offering to feed his abused population - and at the same time undermining his rule.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of Gordon G. Chang.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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A rather counter-intuitive strategy, overthrow a regime through food donations. This is the kind of solution you come up with when you over-intellectualize a problem.
The donations were deemed a ploy to get monitors into the country. So much for that plan.
Aid should be genuine, without strings attached. People are not foolish and will see through any ploy.
The author said, the young Kim reiterated his father's "military first" mantra. Of course he has to, he has to secure the loyalty of the army. The country is higly militarised with over 1,2 million in the services. Kim has no doubt a different style than his father and grandfather, whom he paid respects in his first public speech. He projects also an aura of warmth. On the plattform above Pyongyang's main square, he laughed and joked freely with senior officials, as a parade of the country's massive missiles passed by.
I just can't imagine it. McDonalds, KFC and Burger King are all over the world, in every nook and cranny of every city, everywhere. Un has obviously found them, somewhere. What a business opportunity!
Funny! you are right, no obvious food shortage when one looks at the photos of the head guy.
Godfrey: sometimes silly things are actually true. For example: heavy things and light things fall at the same speed - ludicrous but true; inflation is *good* for an economy - counter-intuitive but true; exposure to *some* germs as a kid makes you healthier as an adult - also true.
So... if it seems convoluted to you, that does not make it "over-intellectualized" and it certainly doesn't make it wrong. To determine if it is right or wrong, look at similar programs in the past - don't just throw your arms up and say it doesn't make sense.
Well stated Edwin!
A society has to get down to "horrible" before it's citizens will overthrow it. Sadly enough, letting the North Korean masses feel hunger will eventually make them want to revolt. That is just my theory. Look at what's happening in the Middle East at present. Eventually, people will unite and revolt. I'll be happy if the Iran people are successful.
Yes, he makes a very good case AGAINST his own premise. The "logic" sounds like it was written by an eighth grader.
By the looks of his chins, it looks like Un has plenty to eat.
He'll just eat all the food aid anyway.
all i can say is b#llsh^t
we have enough poor and welfare recipients just in this country, the states are in deficits, 40% of states faced abnormal dryness or drought in 2011 and now we should also consider a food program for north korea, the people that are thought to hate us? we already spend too much money in other nations that hate us and we see no benefit from it. so hell no, let them deal with themselves, in fact we need to help ourselves, manufacture for ourselves, have a strong middle-class here and stop depending or be over giving to other nations.
When North Dakota test-fires a nuclear missile, we'll start worrying about its hungry.
nilla may be joking, but there's a real point there: the poor in this country will not have their needs addressed until they start causing violence on a mass scale. Occupy was just the beginning.
Phuck "the poor."
They can have bullets.
Mark,
If food aid can help us prevent war with North Korea (forget whether it helps undermine their regime), it is FAR cheaper than the extra military we would need otherwise to protect ourselves. That argument alone should make all the difference.
It is well know that the most of the food aid (when no monitors were allowed to company the transportation) was given to the army since North Korea couldn't even feed it own amry.
It would be cheaper to shipped Food Aid with conditions than have a war brewing over there. Iraq war and Afghanistan war would look like a picnic compared to what would happen if war break out.
THESE PEOPLE are so brainwash that they think their now and forever leaders are GOD for crying out loud. They think they have the best country in the world. NOW that brainwashing or what? Only the rural country side that people think otherwise.
The North Korean people don't "hate" us; their dictatorship pretends to hate us to gin up nationalist sentiment. Most North Koreans would probably admit they appreciate the work of the U.S., if they even know anything about our country beyond what their government tells them. So it's absurd to blame North Koreans for the belligerency of their regime.
Mark is right. For a long time I've questioned and deplored the BILLIONS $$$ thrown away to countries who are adamantly our "unfriends" or enemies. They simply laugh at the US's stupidity and naivete in trying tp buy good will.
I want to stop ALL US financial and material aid to avowed enemies: nearly all the Middle East (except Israel), northern African nations (Libya et al, China, NKorea, to start. Future US aid must come with strings: demonstrable improvement for the citizens' health and welfare, improved human rghts such as the rght to vote, assemble in peace etc.
They have money for rockets, firewords, and parades, but need food aid? I say no food to this regime. Everyone, everywhere ends up with the government they will tolerate. If all the people of North Korea stopped, sat down, and just waited, they'd get a new government.
Either that, or something a whole lot worse.
Yeah, they could die by torture instead of starvation!
"If all the people of North Korea stopped, sat down, and just waited, they'd get a new government."
This is about as intelligent as suggesting that the Jewish people of Germany deserved the Third Reich because they failed to "sit down and just wait."
Yours may be the most absurd comment of the evening.
Sending food aid to the Norks is no different than supplying food to the SS in the hope that they'll be nicer to the Jews if we give them a nice meal.
On a recent excursion, President Obama was photographed looking over and surveying the landscape of the North Korean regime. Somehow I think the landscape may have been reminiscent of a few other nations with similar or related problems. The logistics of wealth, fuel, food, and supplies are critical, and all too familiar with successful military strategists. America has given away too much of it's wealth and has no choice but to draw down it's spending. The lesson here will be that you cannot buy true friends. But are we about to find out at least which ones might still be grateful? The dirt will come out in the wash, and by all indications, laundry day is coming up.
I love how this is basically the exact same argument from this article http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/05/21/052111-opinions-column-north-korea-chang-1-2/
Only difference is the application to the new regime. Chang has never been a good scholar, more of a prophetic visionary whose incantations never come to pass...
It really does not matter one way or the other whether food aid is given or not to North Korea. As it will not go to who needs it the most and the military and the faithful will be the only ones "mostly" fed. The very idea of attempting to shame the new leader of North Korea is an utter waste of time. The regime does not now or has ever cared one wit about what other countries think. The regime will bend whatever happens into one more snub against the rest of the world and the people, as they die in droves will believe it.
North Korea is a country that has been systematically brainwashed since the 40's. Their people take a strange pride in not accepting nor asking for assistance. They(The people of North Korea) have been fed "Self reliance" at all cost. Better the weak die off so the strong can defeat the Americans when they come. These are things they truly believe and it is unlikely anyone will ever be able to really change that except by proving the regime right and invading them.
All we in the rest of the world can do is ask. Do we send food in the hopes a few will be spared, or send nothing and know millions will die. We have the food and they don't. If we demand to monitor the distribution we will get to watch the army at gunpoint (again) take them. We will get all up in arms about it and the talking heads will pop off with their thoughts but we will not invade for fear of china and knowing we would be basically murdering their troops as they have very little and even less morale. But if we invade then the Kims were right all along.
Either way you look at this we will end up looking bad.
It baffles me. Communism does not allow dynasties and hereditary rule. In fact, Marxism was thoroughly against hereditarism. Dear Mr Marx, hear my pleas and arise from your grave and rectify this anomaly.
Ooops. Marx did not believe in praying to ancestral or dead spirits which "Democratic" Peoples Republic of Korea does to their Eternal Leader Kim Ill Sung. And Marx is dead.
Whattayaknow, China, Cuba, North Korea, and the USSR were never truly "Communist". They all just use Communism as a means to control the masses. Not the same thing. Communism is actually a pretty altruistic and well-intentioned system, but human nature blows it all to heck.
Yeah, but how do we get the food to the needy/deserving?
Can't be done while the army has weapons to redirect our aid...
The GPS GODAMs (Guided Online Delivery Asteroid Module ) should be ready soon. All we have to do then is wait for the next near earth meteor shower. And BAM ! Instant Earth craters from space rocks ! No more UN, no more Assad, no more Ammedinejad ! Blame it on God !
There are so many things wrong with this train of thought that, I do not know where to begin. The article/opinion already shoots holes in itself with historical references made about what happens when they are given food aid. If you call someone "enemy" or you disagree with how they treat their people, why on Earth would you empower them more? Let's just send them effective and fully functional nuclear missiles, that way they stop wasting money on failed rockets and use it to buy their own food...sounds rational to me, based on this article anyway. XD
We should trade food for weapons. A pound of grain for an assault rifle, a hundred pounds for an artillery piece, etc.
What a silly argument for continuing food aid to nKorea. All the nKorean leadership has to do is to educate its slaves that America is paying obeisance to the wondrous country of Kim Il Sung, for daring to be insolent and is down on its knees begging forgiveness. That will sell a whole lot better with these brainwashed-from-birth slaves than the unpatriotic whisperings of a few malcontents that things may not be so wonderful in the workers' paradise. Stop all food aid NOW!
As long as fat boy continues to stuff his face, you need not think that Kim Jon Un is slowly trying to change his country for the better. He's a puppet who would rather see his own people starve to death than miss out on his next 3 big meals a day.
If he hadn't cut the food aid, your article would have criticized him that he was condoning the missile launch and continuing to waste U.S. Dollars. Shut the Hell Up. What an Idiot Journalist.
I am very skeptical of the writer's underpinnings and assertions in this article. It seems to me to be an article written with a certain predetermined political bent that struggles to twist facts into a patina of truth.
If the US, under any Administration, decides to send any further food aid to NK we should coat all pallets and sacks (inside and outside) with information for NK citizens. Additionally, all dry products should be infused with printed messages, several hundred per sack.
The regime does not have enough minders to remove the propaganda, and many NK citizens who are used to picking corn kernels from animal dung certainly won't miss the messages. Even if the regime tries to allocate almost all of the food to supporters and military there will still be a tangible flow of information.
And if the writer had been serious about solving the NK problem rather than promoting his POV he would have suggested a similar, radical solution, rather than simply shilling for the same old, same old.
Well said. I wish they had a like button on some of these boards.
North Korea occasional gets it's shower of leaflets, ballooned in items, etc, as part of the on-going psychological warfare. But this is country is just another ally with China/Russia, so don't expect any immediate change or revolution. What I can't understand is how a leadership can commit to an alliance that cannot even provide for the basic needs of food for it's people.
Why should the US help feed a hostile nation like North Korea while millions of people are starving to death in non-hostile nations in Africa? I say, let the North Koreans starve to death until they realize that helping their own people is far more important than building missiles.
Watch food aid be distributed? Poor folks would be told to give their newly delivered food to fat boy as soon as the monitors left!
Phuck North Korea!!
This writer is an idiot. Using that logic we should just GIVE North Korea nuclear weapons so they won't have to spend their budget trying to develop them and then they MIGHT feed their people. Hungry people will eventually murder their worthless leaders like they should.
Your logic is utterly flawed. Food + monitors does not equate to weapons technology - the very fact that we bring it in affects their country in significant ways that are not reflected in monetary value.
How long is eventually?
Where does CNN come up with these totally naive writers....I can't believe any of the stuff CNN is putting up any more....Man you guys are so out of touch it is nothing short of incredible....
The pretense of this article is that "outsider contact = good," so the food aid should continue. I am not heartless, but this is flawed logic. I've seen the videos of food aid being sent to North Korea, and they are NOT convoyed in by other nations drivers. The food is GIVEN, it is not LED into the nation by "outsiders." North Koreans take and deliver the food, IF it amkes it to the people, and give the credit to their Dear Leader, whichever one he happens to be at the time, and paint over the UN pictures on the sides of the trucks so nobody is the wiser.
So we put conditions on it to include monitors with shipments.
It's typical for our so-called humanitarian govt to strangle their enemies of even the basic of necessities to in order to demonstrate US hegemony, albeit a declining one.
Julian Assange? Is that you?
what did lenin do with Czar Nicholas II, should the N. Koreans do that with Kim?
Wait a second... In one Paragraph you tell us how UN Food Monitors were held at gun point while food was being stolen by the NK Government and sent to the NK Army. Then a few paragraphs later, you tell us how great it would be to have food sent with UN Food Monitors present. That food is never going to make it to the starving people of North Korea. You can forget that dream right now. I'm all for helping the hungry and preventing starvation, but not feeding a dictator's army.
Your butt is wide, well mine is too
Just watch your mouth or I'll sit on you
The word is out, better treat me right
'Cause I'm the king of cellulite
Ham on, ham on, ham on whole wheat, all right
My zippers bust, my buckles break
I'm too much man for you to take
The pavement cracks when I fall down
I've got more chins than Chinatown
"There are many things that the Obama administration should be doing to stop North Korea’s missile program, but refusing to feed hungry and victimized people is not one of them."
Yes, it is. It absolutely is!! They were told not to launch and they did it anyway, so the deal's off.
Who's at fault for this, Bozo? Not us for sure. A deal is a deal. The DPRK doesn't seem to realize this... but then, they never have and never will.
You guys remember Sadam and his shadow 1000000 army, over 90% put their weapons down when attacked by US. Well the same is true with North Korea; once we attack it most of his army will dissolve
We just have to contain his nukes before he can use them. The dictator’s time is up
i dont think he cares whether the people live so your whole idea is mute
Who should care more, them or us?
We should tell the Chinese that North Korea is their problem.
tell you what, I'll give a damn about Korea's starving when I'm not overwhelmed with taxes and I have a nice fat retirement to rely on. Until that cold day in hell they can stop trying to start a nuclear war and feed their damn selfs.
The one sentence "There are simply not enough local minders to watch over foreign workers, doctors, and food monitors" is difficult for me to believe. And if it is not true, then that means the whole point the whole artilcle is trying to make not valid.
How about feeding our own hungry here at home? It's awful that we give assistance to other nations before cleaning up our own house and making sure everyone's fed.
You looked around lately? Our "poor" are morbidly obese. They don't need handouts, they need to get off their as ses.
North Korea, a backwards country ruled by a mental retard. No hope exists for the backwards citizens of this country.
How about Americans feed the hungry Americans first. Food aid to undermind a country that can't launch a stupid rocket while American kids go to bed hungry is pointless. Let China feed their lapdog North Korea. Let America spend our money getting our next generation.
It seems so logical to me too.
It is not our place to be feeding another country. Take care of the homeless and hungry in America first. Remove our $$ from the so-called global joke, oh I mean economy, and take care of home first.
Fareed can hug a root!
They are Kims people, Not Obamas.
Its time America, took care of Americans first and not other nations.
You want his population fed? Move there and help them in the fields.
I am sick of you getting on your knees and appeasing all the liberals in this nation, your articles are socialist drivel!
T-bone–Fareed? Zacharia? This article was written by Gordon Chang.
Face reality – Kim will use EVERYTHING he is given to remain in power, and until his people decide to rise up and remove him from power, we have no choice but to isolate them from the civilized world. Giving him "nutritional aid" merely keeps him in power, and to think otherwise is the epitome of foolishness...or just flat stupid.
In your case, I believe the latter option is the most correct.
I would say " Let them eat cake " But it looks like little Kim ate it all.
If 22 million people starve to death, the US Army could just walk in and call it a day.
Obama could go down in the history books as the guy who re-unified the Korean Peninsula without firing a single shot.
Just sayin.... something to think about.
This article is incredibly naive, out of touch, and ignorant. Sums up CNN the past couple years perfectly.
Don't give NK food aid. They'll just claim responsibility and attribute any food actually given to the people (very little) as the benevolence and fruits of the great leader.
The best thing for that country is for them to starve. No propaganda can cover that up.
What they really need is an infusion of I-Pads, or even simple phones. Unstoppable communications is how you end dictatorships. That and a few soldiers unwilling to just let their own families die out for the greater glory of fat Fs in Pyongyang.
Food aid is always shown as "tribute" in North Korean propaganda. The best thing to do is stop giving the aid.
Have you ever heard the phrase been there, done that? Every time NK does something that we consider provacation or an infraction, we threaten to cancel talks and lean towards racheting up more sanctions and isolating NK even more! And when all is said and done, we end up right back where we started decades ago with no progress! Let's face it, as the so-called leader of the free world, I find it ironic that every time America is called upon to lead, it stumbles and fails to do its job! The new North Korean leadership of Jung Un goes ahead and launches a ballistic missile that was planned by his late father's administration perhaps two years ago and all of a sudden we're acting childish and placing all the blame on the young leader for something his father's government planned! So why not cut the new leadership of Jung Un some slap and give him the benefit of the doubt and see he stands with improving relations with SK and the West? After all, didn't the American people give GWB the benefit of a doubt and re-elected him even though he f-up this country? America, why not act like the grown up in the room for a change and stop your silly whining and show some real leadership?
If we really want to gain the trust of the young North Korean leader, we must be willing to be a little flexible and cut him a little slack! Therefore, cancelling the recent agreement to provide food aid to NK would not only be premature but it would also undermine any potential for real progres and it would subsequently prove counterproductive to our goals in the region! Let's face it, if we were to continue with the food aid to NK, we could always cancell it at any given point in time in the future if Jung Un decides to take the high road and continues in the direction of his father! But to shut the door to diplomacy prematurely and even before the young Jung Un has a full understand of the West's position I believe is a very big mistake on our part!
Your ideas for distribution and control are nice. However, you know they will never be enough. We need to encourage more cooperation from countries like China to influence the regime in No Korea. It is time to put an end to freebies from the US to support the workings of any humanitarian deficit political regime or country. Especially one who uses their people and starves them.
DONT TRUST CHINKS AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME HAIR CUT AND WEAR SAME SUIT,,LIKE CHILDREN OF THE CORN
N. Africa within the past year has seen regime change by the hands of residents that occupy countries in that region. N. Korean government made an agreement with the U.S. and broke the agreement. If the people of N. Korea want change they will change their government. However u.s. citizens, over 20% are receiving food stamps and others seeking handouts should not compromise tax dollars for another country that would undermine Americans safety.
How does expect the world community to continue to fund the bullying North Korea via the provision of food aid?! It's good to talk about monitors but who really expects the Korean government to allow some foreigners to show them how to take care of it's people?!!
If Lil Dong Un stopped suddenly, he'd have 10 LARGE hats up his a$$. Hahahahahahahaha
UN, USA, UK,FRANCE, GEMRMANY AND THE NATO ARE SILENT ON BASHAR AL KALB OF SYRIA CRIMES , HE KILLED 15,234,00 UNTIL NOW MOST ARE WOMEN , CHILDREN OLDER MEN KURDS AND SUNNI , HE IS A WAR CRIMINAL ALONG WITH RUSSIAN LEADERS AND THE CHINKS WITH IRAN MONEY PROVIDING WEAPONS TO KILL CIVILIANS.
SILENT IS CRIME.....WHERE IS USA WHY ATTACK LIBYA FOR 400 KILLING AND LEAVE SYRIA THAT KILL 14,000 CEVILIANS.
وردتنا معلومات من احد منتسبي الاستخبارات مفادها ما يلي :
قامت مجموعه من مهربي المخدرات تابعين الى منظمة " بدر" يرأسة هادي العامري بادخال ( ثمانيه ونصف ) طن من المخدرات ( حشيشه ) من ايران وعبر مدينة البصره ثم الى الناصريه لغرض تهريبها الى المملكه العربيه السعوديه وجزء من الكميه تذهب الى محافظات الوسط ( كربلاء – النجف – الديوانيه – بابل ) لبيعها في هذه المدن
تمكنت مفارز الاستخبارات في مدينة الناصريه من القاء القبض على المخدرات والمهربين وفورا تحرك المهربين للاتصال باللواء ( صباح الفتلاوي ) قائد شرطة ذي قار وتم الاتفاق معه على تسوية القضيه وعلى الشكل التالي ( بعد فحص كمية المخدرات وجدت انها حشيشه مغشوشه ) مقابل ( ٦٠ ) الف دولار تسلمها اللواء صباح من المهربين بغية اطلاق سراحهم من السجن وتسليم المخدرات ( المغشوشه ) ؟؟؟
ارسلت الاستخبارات معلومات الى وزارة الداخليه حول كمية المخدرات وتفاصيل الاتفاق الذي تم ما بين اللواء صباح الفتلاوي والمهربين تم الاتصال من قبل وزير الداخلية وكالة " عدنان الاسدي " برئيس الوزراء نوري المالكي " القائد العام للقوات المسلحه واعلمه بتفاصيل القضيه وكان جواب المالكي لوكيله عدنان الاتي : ( صباح الفتلاوي" ابنه " اكتفي بنقله الى بغداد اما المهربين وهم من ( منظمة بدر) امر المالكي باطلاق سراحهم مخاطبا وكيل وزير الداخليه ( تعرف ذوله من جماعة " هادي العامري " ( حزام ظهرنه ) ..
مع العرض ان المنظمه نشرت معلومات سابقه عن الخلاف الذي نشب بين اللواء صباح الفتلاوي شقيق ( لهلوبة المالكي ) بسبب قيام احد مرافقي " صباح " بشفط ( 80 ) الف دولار ارسلها بيده صباح الى اهله في محافظة بابل وهي مبالغ رشى المخدرات ولم يسترجعها له وهدده بكشف الاموال الطائله التي جناها شقيق حنان من تهريب المخدرات .
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