The god who failed, and then was gone A4 Tuesday, December 27, 2011
TOM PLATE PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES
And suddenly yet another communist god who failed was dead. Seemingly suddenly. Major historic chapter -ending news is often like that — it seems to happen so terribly suddenly. Many North Koreans were said to be sincerely weeping. But for other people around the world, the end came none too soon. Worldwide eyes are quite dry and will so remain, for as long as there is historical memory. What was remarkable about the death of the despot of North Korea (allegedly aged 69) was how quickly this historic “sudden news” reached the outside world. In Asia, you see, it’s amazing how significant news sometimes gets out no more rapidly than a backlash of taffy. This can be the case regarding
EDITORIAL
OPINION
news about political big shots. Take the infamous example of the death of Japan’s Keizo Obuchi in 2000. It was kept from the Japanese people for as long as possible. After the prime minister’s stroke, which itself was only slowly reported, the true facts of his prolonged deep coma were blurred from public view. But if death came slowly to North Korea’s Kim, rumored for some serious amount of time to be frail, the news did not. World communications are now so revolutionary these days that not even a reactionary state can hide things for all that long. Consider another reason for the spread of the blockbuster news of the death of the leader of a country with a mere 24 or so million people and few tourist sites to brag about: it’s the introduced element of uncertainty. There’s no guarantee that what
will follow the departed leader will prove more salutary for the people of North Korea than his decades of miserable incompetent rule. And isn’t that a terrible thought: That what lies ahead might just prove worse than what we have already experienced or witnessed. A second factor is that for prideful Koreans, who rightly point to South Korea as a great success story, North Korea under the late Kim was an extreme embarrassment. It was so inarguably the worst managed country in Asia that it almost inspired a vague fondness for Communist Albania. You could even summarize bad gover nment in two words: North Korea. Everything about it seemed bent, even the formal title of the Communist state: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, what a joke! So with the guy now gone, how
Roswell Daily Record
can the next guy be worse? The answer to that might be: Don’t ask. It’s depressing, but I have a confession to make: I have been and remain a cockeyed optimist. For years I have been trying to convince myself (and others) that only a denuclearized Korean Peninsula makes sense for the world. But for Koreans on the peninsula? South Korea can certainly live without nuclear weapons if the North can. But can the leaders of the North? They look at the fallen Gaddafi regime and wonder: Might not it still be around had Libya been nuclear? Wouldn’t NATO have shied away from intervening if the probably crazy Gaddafi had had his finger on a nuclear trigger? Perish that thought — and that any of Kim’s successors might take it to heart.
Let us instead entertain some good “sudden news” soon. Perhaps Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, doing such a commendable job for America, will show up in Pyongyang to start to put together a deal with the new transitional DPRK government. Or President Barack Obama will. Or maybe Ban Ki-moon, the head of the U.N. who has made so many Koreans everywhere proud, will take the historic initiative. Who can think of anyone more qualified? Forget about the Six Party Talks. Even if they resume, their promise has come and gone. We know now, and we probably always knew at some level, that progress could only come with mutual concessions initiated from the very top — that middlelevel negotiators from Pyongyang See PLATE, Page A5
Kim Jong Il’s death
The death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il presents both dangers and opportunities for America. The dangers come from the instability in the North Korean regime, which with Cuba is the last of the old, hard-core communist regimes. Every other communist regime — China, Russia, Vietnam, etc. — has switched to some sort of capitalism, however imperfect. Capitalism produced prosperity. By contrast, socialism, especially in its virulent communist version, produced poverty and starvation. North Korea also has per formed two nuclear tests. According to the Federation of American Scientists, it may have up to nine nuclear weapons, although no one knows the exact number, or if it actually possesses such weapons. The Pyongyang regime also possesses a significant chemical-weapons capability. Although socialist regimes are supposed to elevate to power only the best to lead the “vanguard of the proletariat,” as Lenin put it, North Korea developed a nepotistic dynasty. In 1994, Kim succeeded his father, longtime dictator Kim Il-sung. Although the younger Kim was dubbed the “Dear Leader,” only his friends, cronies and some brainwashed North Koreans will mourn his demise. In 1994, he had a chance to modernize North Korea. In 1989, the Berlin Wall had fallen. Its arms patron, the Soviet Union, dissolved its own Communist Party in 1991. And neighbor and patron China had switched to a market economy in 1978. But Kim continued his father’s obsession with socialism, leading his country to continued impoverishment, even starvation. Yet Kim himself, according to Russian reports, had live lobsters flown to him during his trips to Russia and China. By contrast, South Korea transformed itself from total poverty after the Korean War in 1953 into today’s economic powerhouse. The contrast can be seen at the Olympic Games, such as those at Beijing in 2008. The North Korean athletes, the cream of their society, appear shorter than their South Korean counterparts due to vitamin and caloric deficiencies. North Korea long has been a mystery to outsiders. That remains so today, with the heir apparent to the socialist dynasty being Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong Il’s third son and the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. The younger Kim reportedly is 27 or 28 years old, attended high school in Switzerland and is obsessed with the National Basketball Association. So he at least has some knowledge of the prosperity and freedom of non-communist countries. But the new leader also faces challenges within the ruling regime, Doug Bandow told us; he’s a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of two books on Korea policy. “From the American standpoint, we should be prepared to talk but shouldn’t expect to get anything out of it. There will be no agreement during the transition” on North Korea getting rid of its nuclear arsenal because “there are low hopes of anything to come out of the generals.” The new leader — or someone else — first must solidify his position as the person in charge before anything meaningful can result. But now is a good time, Bandow said, for the United States to “emphasize South Korea’s responsibility on policy. South Korea is well-equipped to deal with it.” Due to the vast growth of its capitalist economy, democratic South Korea today has twice the population and an incredible 40 times the economic power as North Korea. It also has access to top-level U.S. weapons, whereas the North still depends to a great extent on outdated Soviet-era weapons. Bandow long has held that American troops, currently 28,500, gradually should be withdrawn from South Korea, allowing the country to defend itself. But he said the United States should wait to begin the withdrawal until the power transition in the North is complete. In the meantime, negotiations for the withdrawal should continue with South Korea. We agree. Guest Editorial The Orange County Register
An American holiday for all This story begins with one of the most American of holiday traditions — a walk to see the decorated tree at New York City’s Rockefeller Center. Our Sunday-evening outing began like many American families living through “la crisis” these days: on a budget. For us, that’s all-you-can-eat sushi. At the restaurant, there was a mix of New Yorkers, but no tourists. The men behind the sushi bar were Japanese, but every five minutes a man from the kitchen would appear with a bowl of cooked rice or eel, and he was Mexican or
Doonesbury
DEAR DOCTOR K: My husband recently passed away unexpectedly. I feel like I am drowning in grief. Please help me. DEAR READER: I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Just getting through the day may seem very hard. My patients sometimes have sought my advice about how to deal with the sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one. When they, like you, are still in the early, raw stages of grief, my advice is to let the nonessentials slide. Don’t feel guilty about not attending to your usual responsibilities. Believe me, people will understand. Instead, focus on
MARIA HINOJOSA
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
Guatemalan. It used to be funny when you would see a Mexican making sushi, but now you don’t laugh anymore because it is so common. After dinner, we made our way by subway to the tree. There we were in Rockefeller Center along with everyone
ASK DR. K UNITED MEDIA SYNDICATE
getting yourself through this difficult time. When you are grieving, you may neglect your health and well-being. But it’s important to take good care of yourself. In fact, it’s even more important than usual. Grief makes you more vulnerable to illness. Keep taking your regular medicines. Keep up with regular physical exams
else who wanted to feel some cheer for free. I looked around and saw the most diverse crowd I have ever seen there — people of every race and almost every language, and they were happy and a little giddy with the flashing-light show. When we turned the corner through the crowds on 50th Street, we saw three different men — one African, one Latino, one Asian — hawking Polaroid snapshots on the spot. Next to them was a man whose country of origin I could not decipher, but who
and dental appointments. Get the sleep you need. Nap if you need to. Go to bed early if you can. If you’re have trouble sleeping, talk with your doctor about temporarily taking medication to help you sleep. T ry to exercise every day. A simple walk or a harder workout can relax your body. Exercise can distract you from your grief, or offer you time to meditate on your loss. If you need to cry, cry. If you feel angry, express it. If you need a break from grieving, allow yourself that.
See DR. K, Page A5
looked like a pied piper because he was making handcrafted animal balloon sculptures. And beyond him were three or four Asian portrait artists who did a range of styles, from cartoons to names written in Chinese calligraphy. As I looked around, I thought about the words of Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, a conservative think tank in D.C. Krikorian told me in an interview for PBS’s “Frontline” that our country was an
See HINOJOSA, Page A5
25 YEARS AGO
Dec. 27, 1986 • Pecos Elementary School held its monthly awards assembly recently and according to principal Moises Campos, the following students were named as Citizens of the Month for December 1986: Sixth grade — Sandra Benavides and Regina Bennett; fifth grade — Hilda Perales and Chris Sanchez; fourth grade — Raul Luevano, Debbie Perez and Erica Salazar; third grade — Car men Martinez and Michelle Quintanilla; second grade — Joey Benta, Joey Russell and Paul Sedillo; first grade — Veronica Jimenez, Leo Lucero, Sarah Montoya and Nadine Munoz; and kindergarten — Lisa Pineda, Juan Rincon and Maria Villa.