The importance of being earnest

North Korea would never abolish nuclear weapons as they are seen as pillars of the military state, but the United States stubbornly sticks to demands of complete denuclearization while withholding food aid. Rather than constantly indulging in hardline rhetoric, Washington could purse the more realistic goals of ensuring non-proliferation and appealing to Pyongyang's better-dressed, cell phone-carrying progeny.

You can read my full article here

Summary of North Korean Food Aid Debate in August 2011

August 2

The Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, a South Korean NGO, sent 300 tons of flour aid to North Korea.

August 3

South Korea offered $4.7 million in medical supplies and other necessities for flood relief; however, additional request for building materials in aid was rejected by Seoul. Representatives from the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation begin their visit to Sariwon to monitor the distribution of aid dispatched from South Korea.

August 4

Deputy spokesperson Mark Toner stated that the U.S. is still assessing “whether [US] can provide food assistance [to North Korea] in a way that’s consistent with [US] policy.” Flood aid was supposedly not being considered during the August 4 press briefing

August 9

The EU donated 200,000 Euros in flood aid. The new aid comes in addition to the food aid worth 10 million Euros sent by the EU in July.

August 10

Senior South Korean official noted North Korea’s food situation is not that serious compared to previous years

August 11

State Department spokesperson noted although the United States may provide food aid, the North Korean regime still holds "primary responsibility" for feeding its people in the long term. The spokesperson also noted that better relations were necessary for greater cooperation in food security and the “best route would be back to engagement with the international community, which would allow trade and allow an open system”

August 15

State department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that South Korea’s decision to provide food aid was a sovereign decision, implying that Washington and Seoul are not on the same page

August 18

US offered $900,000 in emergency flood assistance to North Korea. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said "It includes things like plastic sheeting, tents," but would not include food, which is being “internally reviewed.”

Meanwhile, ROK ministry of Unification announced that The Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation submitted a video it recorded from Aug. 3-6 of North Koreans distributing South Korean food aid to its people.

August 20

The first shipment of 3,560 metric tons of milling wheat arrived in North Korea from Russia. Russia’s United Grain plans to deliver 50,000 tons of wheat from ports in Vladivostok and Novorossiysk.

August 20

Kim Jong Il arrived in Russia to attend a meeting with President Medvedev.

August 22

North Korean Red Cross made an emergency appeal for £ 2.7 million. At the same time, North Korea ordered all 14 South Korean workers at Geumgang resort to leave and said it would scrap all South Korean assets in the region.

August 24

During his meeting with President Medvedev in Ulan Ude, Kim Jong Il promised to work on introducing a moratorium on testing and spent nuclear fuel processing. Senior Washington official said that the offer was “welcome but ... insufficient” to return to the negotiating tables.

September

No notable discussion on North Korean food aid.

Brief timeline of the Kosovo-Serbia tensions in September

September 2

Serbia and Kosovo struck an agreement on “status-neutral documents” whereupon Serbia will recognize stamps on documents that say “Kosovo Customs” without any state insignia such as the Kosovo flag or coat-of-arms.

September 8

Serbia confirms that two members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have initiated the procedure to revoke their recognition of Kosovo. Pristina called the statement propaganda.

Serbs in northern Kosovo unblock roads and EULEX police returned to southern Kosovo.

September 9

Serbian Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović says deployment of Kosovo customs officers at checkpoints without Belgrade’s approval represents a serious threat. He added that EULEX's actions in support of Priština's policy represented a blatant violation of the status neutrality.

September 13

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo called Tuesday on Kosovo institutions to take further action in support of repatriated persons.

The Serbian government prepares a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon regarding the latest statements by Pristina representatives that they will take over control of border crossings in northern Kosovo as of September 15th. The letter will warn that violence could threaten the stability of the region. Boris Tadić says he will ask international officials to prevent Priština's threats and unilateral attempts to deploy Kosovo customs at the administrative line.

Traffic between Zvecan and Kosovska Mitrovica is suspended. The roadblocks were reestablished after an attempt of KFOR vehicles to reach the Jarinje administrative crossing. KFOR was intercepted at about 10.15 p.m. in Zvecan, and the vehicles drove back to their base, after nearly two-hour talks with the gathered Serbs.

September 14

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is ready to revoke its decision on collection of customs duties on the goods from BiH, if the country accepts the customs stamp delivered to all signatories of the CEFTA agreement, the BiH Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations released.

Serbian opposition party SNS deputy leader Aleksandar Vučić has condemned the authorities’ inability to make any kind of plan regarding Priština’s unilateral moves in Kosovo.

Serbian Parliament Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović has stated that Serbia's EU candidacy will not be jeopardized. Đukić-Dejanović stated that it would be good to start timely talks with Priština on the demarcation line between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo.

Pristina finalizes operational plan to take control over customs points in the north. Prime Minister Thaci has declared that the implementation of the plan will start on Friday, when Kosovo customs and police officers will be stationed at Brnjak and Jarinje.

Deputy PM and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić noted that it was "wrong to believe" Serbia was ready to do anything to become a candidate for EU membership. Dačić, added that Serbia and Kosovo “could also discuss parallel institutions of (ethnic) Albanians in southern parts of central Serbia."

A barricade in the northern Kosovo municipality of Zvečan was removed on Wednesday about 11:00 CET, allowing traffic to be normalized. A convoy of about 15 KFOR vehicles was also allowed to go through.

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has confirmed that Kosovo policemen and customs officers will take over the Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings together with EULEX and KFOR on September 16.

Ministry for Kosovo State Secretary Oliver Ivanović says Priština will probably postpone deployment of customs and police at the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings.

September 15

Temporary truce between Serbian and Kosovo officials, established by Commander of NATO forces in Kosovo (KFOR), German general Erhard Buehler, expires.

September 16

The operation to take control of customs points northern Kosovo due to begin.

Crouching dragon, rising sun

With the completion of its aircraft carrier, China's capacity to further up the ante in disputed East Asian waters has drastically increased. Japan's deep reach into the East China Sea, the capacity to contribute to the security of Northeast Asia, and above all an increasingly predominant political role in the region give Tokyo the power to be a natural counterweight to the growing influence of China.

You can read my full article here

Dear Leader plays it smart

Kim Jong-il is playing a clever game. By offering to discuss nonproliferation and making non-binding promises, he invites other ambitious powers to the table and protects himself from unanimous international action to force the nuclear program to an end. Far from isolationist, Pyongyang is reaching out to the world, much as it did in the 1970s.

You can read my full article here

Pyongyang plays on Moscow's desire

A North Korean strategy to extort aid from Russia by threatening to exclude it from nuclear talks has worked well. While improved ties with South Korea have been lucrative and suited Moscow's desire to stand with the moral majority, continued defense of the North risks Russia's international standing.

You can read my full article here

'Mr K' shows Korea's Cold War lingers

South Korea tried to illegally import intercontinental ballistic missiles from the former Soviet space while the Sunshine policy with North Korea was in full force, according to recent revelations from an agent known as "Mr K". Add this anecdote to recent tensions over the Northern Limitation Line as a telling example of the fissures of mistrust on the Korean Peninsula.

You can read my full article here

A Russian route out of Libyan minefield

The United States shouldn't gloat over persuading Russia to endorse the removal of Muammar Gaddafi. Even if the rebels take Tripoli, Gaddafi loyalists in the south may fight on. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda's influence in northern Africa will rise in the post-conflict gloom. Before the mire deepens too much, the US should tap Moscow's rare talent of coaxing old autocrats into retirement.

You can read my full article here

Russia frets over Eurasian domino theory

Moscow's minimalist vision for managing its "near abroad", and the rising need to stem the trans-Eurasian narcotics trade, pivots on the stability and security of Central Asian states. The Kremlin's opposition to intervention in Libya is not leverage against the West, but aimed at preventing a destabilization of the global energy market that could fatally sabotage Central Asia's nascent economies.

You can read my full article here

Asia Times Online articles from the past

Click on the titles to read the full article


Middle East front opens for the Koreas
The relationship of the two Koreas to events in the Middle East is precariously entwined. The North is waiting in the wings to add to growing sales of military hardware within the club of international pariah states should the ruling regimes in Syria and Libya survive. It is precisely the threat of a revival of Cold War "client states" that will draw South Korea and Israel closer (May 18, 2011)


North Korea: Calculus of an existential war
Connections made between North Korea's succession process for heir-apparent Kim Jong-eun and its nuclear and conventional provocations ignore that the country's policies are rooted in the existential threat posed by South Korea. Nuclear weapons are a long-term deterrence strategy, and regime change in Pyongyang will not alter this established military doctrine. (April 20, 2011)


Cyber-attacks add to North Korea arsenal
Recent denial-of-service attacks on South Korean bank and government websites show that North Korea is adding increasingly sophisticated cyber-warfare to its armory of nuclear weapons and missiles, its conventional bargaining chip since the 1990s. The North is schooling hackers, and according to one military defector more than 30,000 people are engaged in official acts of electronic sabotage. (March 16, 2011)


Did South Korea target the right pirates?
While the South Korean navy's successful assault against Somali pirates boosted domestic morale following provocations by the North, it did little to tackle the root cause of this rising threat to Seoul's economic lifelines. While al-Qaeda or fundamentalists are blamed for turning young Somalis into pirates, a more likely motivator is the looting and destruction of maritime resources by European nations. (January 31, 2011)


Misunderstandings may prove fatal
Washington's responses to Pyongyang have repeatedly shown a fundamental lack of understanding about what the North Korean regime really is, and what it wants. Treating the North like a Chinese puppet, or lumping it in with non-state terrorist groups like al-Qaeda are both mistaken approaches, and could lead to dangerous errors of judgment. (January 7, 2011)


Obituary: North Korean hero to outcast
The life of Hwang Jang-yeop - a senior North Korean official who helped create the ideology of juche (self-reliance), witnessed Kim Il-sung's reign and Kim Jong-il's rise before a high-profile defection to South Korea - was as tumultuous as the fortunes of the mysterious country he helped run. (November 9, 2010)


Rogues in a 'rogue state'?
An independent attack could explain the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan at such an inopportune moment for the Pyongyang hierarchy, even though the very concept of the North Korean military acting independently challenges established United States and South Korean foreign policy convention towards North Korea. (September 20, 2010)


Clawing back credibility in Kyrgyzstan
The United States and Russia have a key role to play in Kyrgyzstan’s fragile attempts to become the first functioning democracy in Central Asia. Many Kyrgyz still suspect, however, that the US is merely continuing its obsessive pursuit of strategic assets in the region, while for Moscow securing the former-Soviet space against religious extremists takes priority. (September 2, 2010)


Lee's chance to steer a new course
Northeast Asia after the Cheonan affair is more volatile than it has been since the end of the Cold War. With North Korea off the hook, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has lost the most. A reversal of his policy toward Pyongyang would stem the loss and, more importantly, could restore some sense of stability to the region. (July 29, 2010)


Russia has reasons to stay its hand
Moscow's reluctance to intervene in Kyrgyzstan's strife has been interpreted as weakness. But still bristling with military might and technology, the Kremlin is well capable of defending interests in its "near abroad". A more likely reason for Russia's absence is that it already dominates the region through energy supplies, and the US air base at Manas actually serves its limited neo-imperial ambitions. (July 13, 2010)


Pyongyang purge echoes Stalin
The excesses of Kim Jong-il and of his father before him resemble those of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. History suggests that Pyongyang's recent execution of elite officials over last year's bungled currency reform herald the start of another bloody purge, with dire signs of famine adding to its likely intensity. (June 14, 2010)


War, succession and economics on the peninsula
As South Korea, with the help of Washington, makes its counter-offensives against North Korea following the sinking of the Cheonan, the continued isolation of Pyongyang is forcing new and dangerous options onto the table. Among these is war, although the crisis could provide the opportunity for the six-party talks to resume and secure the stability of Northeast Asia. (June 9, 2010)


Russia takes a keen interest
As it steps into the Cheonan investigation, Russia is showing that although protective of North Korea, it won't be blindly soft. What Moscow needs is a moderately belligerent, non-nuclear regime in Pyongyang that could facilitate its objectives while standing against American influence in the Pacific Rim. (June 3, 2010)

Getting Started

A raison d'etre is in order.

This blog is to keep track of all the articles I have published, so I have an index of them before they are lost to the ever expanding vortex of internet-past.

Charting a chronological history in our era of indexing and forgetting.

I will also post tidbits and whatnots. No promises on quality.