Strawberry Juche.

Via Jamie Dupree, the announcement that Kim Jong-Il’s death is something of a good and bad thing. Yes, he was batty. But he also was part of the old guard of bombast and rhetoric for dictators. Yes, he is responsible for ultimately destroying generations of Koreans, and has done things to his own people that remind us of Pol Pot.

But at the same time, he had nothing to prove past the propaganda, and his successor, likely his more militant son (not the cool one you can see in Las Vegas) will take over the position as leader of the most unstable nation in the world.

If we are lucky, we’ll see corruption coming to the forefront of any military or other fascist regime. Cracks in the rhetoric would lead to more open and desperate communication for aid. But that danger comes with the appearance of the DPRK trying to “resolve” their image of weakness after the death of their Dear Leader. And with rogue nuclear material in the nation, any type of perceived threat will almost certainly reciprocate an action against South Korea, Japan, etc.

At this moment, the State Department is probably buzzing with activity, as well as some inside contacts in the Southeast Asia corridor. Let’s hope the DPRK continues their brand of comedy, of large claims and words of fluffy militant behavior. Otherwise, we may actually be stirred to act, as China most certainly won’t want us near DPRK right now. If there’s advantage in diplomacy, it’s in hoping the DPRK was all patchwork, greased with money and corruption.  That way, the focus of the country will be upon all the things that bring dictatorships down, not the incorporated belief that has brainwashed an entire nation.

Don’t expect some Arab Spring here, but a celebration of cultism.

China is the place to watch now. Their response may be more important in the end. Mako out.