My Take | Armageddon? There’s more to Kim than nuclear tests
North Korea is also undergoing economic liberalisation, and it’s likely the world will learn to live with the deterrence of Pyongyang
As they say, those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it. If so, Kim Jong-un has proved to be an adept learner. The North Korean dictator has a game plan, knows what his endgame is and how to get there. In the end, he may well come out on top, to the chagrin of the Chinese and Americans.
The United States and the West have taught Kim never to trust any of their promises in exchange for giving up weapons of mass destruction, not unless you want to end up like Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi. Instead, you should arm to the teeth and make sure your adversaries know it.
It’s a deterrent, not an offensive posture, despite all the Pyongyang sabre-rattling.
The Chinese have taught Kim how to introduce market economics without giving up political control and Leninist party discipline. The American propaganda press has almost completely focused on the missile and nuclear tests. What it has neglected to report is that Kim has all along developed not only WMDs but economic liberalisation. The latter is what gives you the whole picture.
His is the latest communist country to follow the well-trodden path of economic development after China, Vietnam and Cuba. The North Korean economy is expanding fast.