I think they’re a broken and scarred country. A country cannot undergo tribulations of the sort they have without incurring heavy and permanent losses in development and dignity. Even doing well in their situation demands measures which can only exacerbate their particular predicament.
While lifting sanctions would surely improve their situation on many levels, I think the repercussions of sustained and intense antagonism both internally and externally will not be a pretty sight to behold. We hardly have a global community capable of nurturing North Korea back into the fold (and back into the fold of what, exactly, would be difficult to discern). I don’t think that increased exposure to the global economy necessarily results in a net benefit for the DPRK or the world at large, however worse it may prove to sustain sanctions; I’m really just a pessimist all around and no amount of my or anyone else’s sympathies or apologia on their behalf is going to undo the damage already wrought upon them.
Then what? By which I mean what’s then in store for the world, China, or the DPRK? I’m fairly certain that if you have a good answer for any of these, you’re way ahead of the curve. I myself have a hard time imagining how a country bounces back from the sort of malformations evident in the DPRK, nor what role they might ultimately play in the wake of China’s rise, let alone what, if any, amelioration might be in the cards for them.
What ‘malformations’? It’s irrelevant. The Revolution does not revolve around one country. If China is doing good economically, good for them. If it was DPR, good for them too. I’m pretty sure most North Koreans won’t lose much sleep whether their country continues to exist or is integrated into China (from what I am presupposing from your comment), seeing as how either option results in their quality of life improving.
I think they’re a broken and scarred country. A country cannot undergo tribulations of the sort they have without incurring heavy and permanent losses in development and dignity. Even doing well in their situation demands measures which can only exacerbate their particular predicament.
While lifting sanctions would surely improve their situation on many levels, I think the repercussions of sustained and intense antagonism both internally and externally will not be a pretty sight to behold. We hardly have a global community capable of nurturing North Korea back into the fold (and back into the fold of what, exactly, would be difficult to discern). I don’t think that increased exposure to the global economy necessarily results in a net benefit for the DPRK or the world at large, however worse it may prove to sustain sanctions; I’m really just a pessimist all around and no amount of my or anyone else’s sympathies or apologia on their behalf is going to undo the damage already wrought upon them.
It honestly won’t matter how ‘scarred’ they are, seeing as how China’s set to become the new #1 superpower of the world.
Then what? By which I mean what’s then in store for the world, China, or the DPRK? I’m fairly certain that if you have a good answer for any of these, you’re way ahead of the curve. I myself have a hard time imagining how a country bounces back from the sort of malformations evident in the DPRK, nor what role they might ultimately play in the wake of China’s rise, let alone what, if any, amelioration might be in the cards for them.
What ‘malformations’? It’s irrelevant. The Revolution does not revolve around one country. If China is doing good economically, good for them. If it was DPR, good for them too. I’m pretty sure most North Koreans won’t lose much sleep whether their country continues to exist or is integrated into China (from what I am presupposing from your comment), seeing as how either option results in their quality of life improving.