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"The US military also not interested in reaching out will also do their part to maintain status quo rather than any effort toward peace. The only variable is if Obama wants to take risks to achieve a cuba like legacy and take risks or if PGH wants to achieve something before her reign ends. It would seem neither will want to take such huge risks. "
It's much less about risks than about the very low odds of any serious change in the DPRK. Kim Jong Un is, to put it politely, a highly unreliable partner. The DPRK's history indicates that he will try to get as much as he can while giving only promises in return. There might be occasional short-term "openings" but then it always goes back to the status quo ante. There is no comparison to Cuba, which is a totally different situation and dynamic. Cuba's isolation has been mainly imposed by the US; the DPRK's isolation has been the product of the DPRK leadership.
Jan 25, 2015 11:13 PM
Reply to this commentNorth Korea has needed money many times before and have reached to the South. Thus the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and the Two Tours and Aid depending on who was in power in the South and USA. North Korea needs the tension of conflict of imminent danger from the evil west while providing economically to the peoples needs. The two conditions are polar opposites. And the street savvy managers of the regime has been able to balance in between the two for longer than any other dictatorship clan. The question at hand is whether this charade will continue another 10 or 20 years or will it crumble and either turn into subservient loser or erupt in violence. The question everyone wants to ask is what will happen in the short term. In the next one or two years. Well, there is no reason for China to change their position in the near future. The US military also not interested in reaching out will also do their part to maintain status quo rather than any effort toward peace. The only variable is if Obama wants to take risks to achieve a cuba like legacy and take risks or if PGH wants to achieve something before her reign ends. It would seem neither will want to take such huge risks. And so the status quo will continue regardless what the north wants. In a smaller note the tours to the two places and perhaps adding another tour spot perhaps this is doable in the short term.
Jan 22, 2015 08:27 PM
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It's not up to the US Military to "reach out." In fact, they have no authority to do so. Their job is to follow the directives of the US Government and the Commander in Chief (the President). So the comment about the US Military is not relevant.
Jan 25, 2015 11:16 PM
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