Yesterday the world was treated to curious images of people wailing in the streets of North Korea upon hearing the news that Kim Jong-il, the man who had served more as jailer than leader for the past 17 years, had died of a sudden heart attack.
Instead of sympathy, though, their public display of grief evoked mostly incredulity and indignation. Frankly, I suspect it was just another of the jingoistic pantomimes Kim was so fond of. Not least because of the conspicuous absence of a single tear drop from the eyes of the mourners.
I am mindful, however, that this outpouring might just be a manifestation of the symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome. After all, North Koreans have been held hostage for decades by Kim and his father, Kim II-sung. During their reign of terror these folks suffered unspeakable privations and oppression, which included systematic indoctrination in the cult of the Kims and other forms of mind control.
More to the point, given that North Koreans know their national suffering will only continue under Kim’s son and successor, Kim Jong-un, it may be that they are wailing not just Kim’s death but their cursed fate as well.
That said, I do not have enough respect for Kim to eulogize him the way I have other famous people. Therefore, I shall suffice to reprise just a few excerpts from previous commentaries which should make self-evident why he’s so unworthy:
[T]his little tyrant has been performing his own version of the tail wagging the dog, with infuriating effect, for many years. Recall the embarrassing spectacle of U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright traveling all the way to Pyongyang in 2000 to toast a similar triumph of diplomacy [thinking Kim would halt his nuclear program in exchange for food, oil and lots of cash] only to have Kim renege on his word even before she made it back on American soil. And recall the equally futile overtures of South Korean leaders who offered a bonanza of economic benefits through their Sunshine Policy only to have Kim accept with one hand while giving them the finger with the other.
Yet Kim is not the most ridiculous performer in this kabuki nuclear dance. Because this spectacle is distinguished by the incredulous fact that none of the five powerful nations involved in trying to prevent him from developing nuclear weapons even know the precise nature of the nuclear program they’re trying so hard to get Kim to forswear.
(Resolving the North Korean menace, The iPINIONS Journal, September 21, 2005)
This time, Kim’s temper tantrum – expressed in his patented passive-aggressive manner – was vented in the specious declaration that ‘extreme threats’ by the Americans have escalated their nuclear brinkmanship to a dangerous level and forced him to bring out his nuclear weapons… Never mind that no one outside of his ‘hermit kingdom’ has ever verified that Kim even has the nuclear weapons he keeps threatening to deploy.
When it comes to psychological warfare, this North Korean gnome is one Cassandra who manages to jerk the world’s chain every time. Indeed, true to form, statements of concern from world leaders about what Mr. Kim might do followed his antic declaration with Pavlovian predictability. Which, in turn, made me constrained to wonder why – given his record of idle threats – these world leaders would even bother to give him the time of day.
(Why do world leaders give Kim the time of day? The iPINIONS Journal, October 4, 2006)
No economic concession or military threat will ever induce or coerce North Korea’s ‘Dr. Strangelove’ president, Kim Jong-il, to part with his nukes. After all, to do so would reduce his country from one that commands the world’s attention (on par with Iran), to one that languishes in relative obscurity (on par with Bangladesh).
(North Korea denuked? Dream on, The iPINIONS Journal, September 5, 2007)
I could barely contain my stupefaction at President Obama and world leaders for wasting time at their summit to fix the global financial crisis to warn Kim that playing with nuclear missiles is not the way to win friends and influence people.
After all, the record clearly shows his pathology to be such that dire warnings from perceived enemies only embolden Kim’s unruly behavior. Not to mention the fact that these warnings never amount to anything more than hollow words…
The best way to deal with Kim is to let him test fire his missiles without making it seem like an existential threat to the world. Especially since North Korea has the same sovereign right the US has to test its missiles … and he’ll do so anyway despite (or to spite) global protestations.
Of course, if he does the unthinkable (i.e. attacks another country or even attempts to sell nuclear weapons to terrorists), then I’m sure Obama will have no difficulty amassing a coalition of the willing, including the Chinese, to take out his little hermit kingdom.
(North Korea…calling the world’s bluff … again, The iPINIONS Journal, April 4, 2009)
So pay no mind to talk about President Obama taking military action (like interdicting North Korean ships on the high seas), putting pressure on China to intervene, or turning Japan into a nuclear power to check Kim’s now-patented nuclear gamesmanship.
After all, if North Korea’s defiance over nuclear weapons did not compel Bush to deploy any of these enhanced tactics, it’s plainly disingenuous for anyone to suggest that its kidnapping of two women will compel Obama to do so. And this is hardly a Somali-pirate situation where US Navy Seals can fire a few shots and end it….
(North Korea adds kidnapping to its diplomatic arsenal, The iPINIONS Journal, June 8, 2009)
[A]ll indications are that no country is going to do anything to check North Korea’s reckless and deadly behavior until it launches an attack so large in scale that it threatens the very existence of South Korea.
(North Korea attacks South Korea with impunity … again, The iPINIONS Journal, December 2, 2010)
I will only add, by way of an epitaph, that Kim taught other dictators one important life lesson; namely, that having nuclear weapons not only enables you to extort all kinds of concessions from nuke-phobic Western governments, but also prevents them from invading your country to impose regime change … and kill you.
This is a lesson Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi failed to learn; but it’s one the Mullahs of Iran seem determined to emulate.
Kim died on Saturday. He was 69.
Good riddance, Kim.
Related commentaries:
Resolving the North Korean menace
Why do world leaders even give North Korea’s president the time of day?!
North Korea denuked?! Dream on…
North Korea calling the world’s bluff … again
North Korea adds kidnapping
North Korea attacks South…
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