Does Kim Jong Un have the "power" to denuclearize North Korea? My opinion: Not yet, he would be "deposed" if he took substantive steps to do so, at this time.

Gatsby

My opinion: Not yet, he would be "deposed" if he took substantive steps to do so, at this time.

son of witless

Gatsby wrote:

My opinion: Not yet, he would be "deposed" if he took substantive steps to do so, at this time.

You bring up a good point. North Korea is somewhere between a Mafia Gang and Stalin's Soviet Union. Kim holds power over his fellow gangsters through a combination of strength and terror. Stalin was always conducting paranoid purges to eliminate any potential rivals. Kim has done the same.

If Kim shows too much weakness, he could get assassinated by a rival.

Gatsby

son of witless wrote:

You bring up a good point. North Korea is somewhere between a Mafia Gang and Stalin's Soviet Union. Kim holds power over his fellow gangsters through a combination of strength and terror. Stalin was always conducting paranoid purges to eliminate any potential rivals. Kim has done the same.

If Kim shows too much weakness, he could get assassinated by a rival.

Kind of like the middle ages. in Europe and the UK.

son of witless

Gatsby wrote:

Kind of like the middle ages. in Europe and the UK.

Yes, sort of. The Soviet system had no inherited dynastic traditions. New leaders rose from preexisting power bases. Lenin, Stalin, Kruschev, Brezhnev, etc. did not leave power to their descendants. The Kim dynasty although C*******t is very much a royal family.

I don't know that it is anymore European in nature than Eurasian. Any of the Mongol or Turkish dynasties were similar in family traditions and barbarity.

Carol Kelly

Gatsby wrote:

Kind of like the middle ages. in Europe and the UK.

Precisely.

Carol Kelly

son of witless wrote:

Yes, sort of. The Soviet system had no inherited dynastic traditions. New leaders rose from preexisting power bases. Lenin, Stalin, Kruschev, Brezhnev, etc. did not leave power to their descendants. The Kim dynasty although C*******t is very much a royal family.

I don't know that it is anymore European in nature than Eurasian. Any of the Mongol or Turkish dynasties were similar in family traditions and barbarity.

And you make good points.

Reality

son of witless wrote:

You bring up a good point. North Korea is somewhere between a Mafia Gang and Stalin's Soviet Union. Kim holds power over his fellow gangsters through a combination of strength and terror. Stalin was always conducting paranoid purges to eliminate any potential rivals. Kim has done the same.

If Kim shows too much weakness, he could get assassinated by a rival.

Only rivals Kim has are China.

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

Gatsby wrote:

My opinion: Not yet, he would be "deposed" if he took substantive steps to do so, at this time.

Sure he has the power...................but not the inclination. Why give up the very thing that gets you the recognition you think you deserve?

son of witless

Reality wrote:

Only rivals Kim has are China.

I don't see China as a rival. China is an ally and protector. I suppose the Chinese could act as king maker and put in another family if the Kims became an embarrassment. The Chinese benefit from North Korean aggression. North Korea is a blunt instrument of Chinese aggression. It is also a source of cheap labor and cheap prostitutes.

China does not want to see a North Korean collapse. South Korea might take over. A united Korea would be a rival for China and maybe Japan. Also if the North collapsed, there would be a Mexican like flood of North Korean refugees into China and Russia. They most definitely do not want that.

Reality

son of witless wrote:

I don't see China as a rival. China is an ally and... (show quote)

I don’t either, was rhetorical. They don’t have any rivals they are a front for China 100%

son of witless

Reality wrote:

I don’t either, was rhetorical. They don’t have any rivals they are a front for China 100%

They are a client of China. If we were able to put enough pressure on China, they could pull the plug on rocket man any time they want. Unfortunately unless Trump wins extremely big in his trade war with China, it is all wishful thinking. North Korea is basically an economic drain for China. They buy coal from N Korea, but other than terrorism N. Korea brings no benefit to it's masters.

When the Soviets collapsed they were no longer able to prop up Marxist Basket cases like Cuba. The Castros survived, but they were hurting big after the early 90s. If we could economically hurt China, they would have a harder time subsidizing Kim and his paranoid nation.

Louie27 Loc: Peoria, AZ

Gatsby wrote:

My opinion: Not yet, he would be "deposed" if he took substantive steps to do so, at this time.

I believe you are right in that post. I believe he is controlled by his fathers generals.

teabag09

son of witless wrote:

I don't see China as a rival. China is an ally and... (show quote)

That is my thought also. NK is a buffer for China from the west. I think though most would meld into the south just to be fed. There would be many heading north thinking they will be treated well and I think that will turn out to be unrealistic on their part. The Chinese look down on the N Koreans as inferior and will have no pity on them. Mike

son of witless

teabag09 wrote:

That is my thought also. NK is a buffer for China from the west. I think though most would meld into the south just to be fed. There would be many heading north thinking they will be treated well and I think that will turn out to be unrealistic on their part. The Chinese look down on the N Koreans as inferior and will have no pity on them. Mike

You are right about the Chinese looking down on Koreans. North Korean escapees have told stories of how they were treated by the Chinese. Korean women often are forced into prostitution in China if they attempt to escape by that route. There has always been a racial component in the hostility among Asian nations, which we in the West dismiss.