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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Lankov on the DPRK's political calculations |
| 2012-01-16 |
 "Pyongyang's foreign policy goals are surprisingly easy to describe: They are regime security and obtaining unconditional aid (the former is an absolute priority with the latter a rather distant but still significant second). In other words, North Korea's foreign policy makers want to squeeze as much aid as possible from the outside world but only so long as this aid comes without too many conditions which might have impact on regime security."Not a cent, not a single red cent. |
| Posted by:Mike Ramsey |
| #5 What does FTAS mean? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2012-01-16 21:32 |
| #4 JosephMendiola, The ROK enjoys the protection the US nuclear umbrella. Even though with B.O. standing behind that guarantee, who knows what the Norks calculation might be. But with 28.5k US troops in the ROK, even B.O. would have to act to protect them, at least until November. |
| Posted by: Mike Ramsey 2012-01-16 20:46 |
| #3 One of the various ways to interprete the 9-11 event = SOMETHING/SOMEONE'S GOTTA GIVE. Despite the fact that China is the DPRK's primary trading partner, the NORKS repor gulag or execute even pro-China activists, personages, etal. for not liking or being loyal to the Kim Regime, but now face the dilemma that SINO-DPRK FTAS for the sake of DPRK-specific econ, national survival will only strengthen Chinese influence + control oer the country. Hell, the CCP/CPC mass Plenum to be held this year will repor discuss whether China should begin treating the DPRK as a de facto Chinese province [semi-autonomous = e.g. Hong Kong?], or else to continue wid the Sino-DPRK "status quo" for a time to come. The Norks wants Nukes + repor German-style reunification wid South Korea - truth be told, to prevent China from permanently controlling or annexing North Korea, the SOUTH MAY WANT THE NORTH TO HAVE NUKES AS LONG AS THE SOUTH ALSO HAS SAME??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-01-16 19:47 |
| #2 Too bad we don't have a competent CIA that would actually do those things. I like the border guards idea. They're only human and they (or at least their families, or certainly their distant relations) aren't eating all that well. Spread some Chinese currency around and who knows what might happen. Bonus touch for the CIA: use really well done counterfeit Chinese currency, and then say the Norks made it... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2012-01-16 17:23 |
| #1 The game plan should be to ratchet-up pressure on regime security. Bribing starving boarder police might be the cheapest way to start dividing the regime. Planting evidence of coup plans by various factions within the government might be another. I am sure that the inner circle sings Kumbaya together all the time.~ |
| Posted by: Mike Ramsey 2012-01-16 14:42 |