RE: North Korea...suicidal, or attention whore?
April 4, 2013 at 1:17 pm
(This post was last modified: April 4, 2013 at 1:22 pm by Anomalocaris.)
Kim has his back against the wall. But he is neither suicidal nor a true attention whore.
The attention he seeks is what he craves, but what he needs to secure longer term survival of his regime. He wants the US to recognize the legitamcy of his regime by engaging him one-on-one, on a state-to-state basis. The US refused to recognize the legitamcy of his state, so it refuse to deal with kim on a state to state basis directly. In any state occassion the US only tolerates the presence of North Korea if there are other states the US recognize, like China or South Korea, present.
China, of course, wants the US to deal with North Korea directly, because China both want North Korea to survive as a buffer state, and not become a perpetual burden on China.
South Korea doesn't really want the US to deal with North Korea, because South Korea doesn't want it's rival to gain international legitamacy.
The attention he seeks is what he craves, but what he needs to secure longer term survival of his regime. He wants the US to recognize the legitamcy of his regime by engaging him one-on-one, on a state-to-state basis. The US refused to recognize the legitamcy of his state, so it refuse to deal with kim on a state to state basis directly. In any state occassion the US only tolerates the presence of North Korea if there are other states the US recognize, like China or South Korea, present.
China, of course, wants the US to deal with North Korea directly, because China both want North Korea to survive as a buffer state, and not become a perpetual burden on China.
South Korea doesn't really want the US to deal with North Korea, because South Korea doesn't want it's rival to gain international legitamacy.
