Mittwoch, 15. Mai 2013

Kim Kyok-sik and the privileged agencies

A few days ago I read an older essay (maybe from 2010), written by a North Korean and titled:

„Attempts To Empowering Kim Jong-Un As Third Generation Successor Will Fail“.

Bad luck, Kim Jon-Un became the new chief in place. More interesting is another headline of his essay, which claims, that „Elites Have Grabbed Economic Power and Are Fighting Among Themselves“. Beside others he mentioned „privileged agencies“ and their greed for power and private wealth. Looking at today developments in North Korea it seems to go like this: Privileged agencies and their members, influential groups with a common history or education, somehow Princelings in a North Korean manner, are fighting for their place.

And maybe the report from Yonhapnews a few days ago about the sacking of Kim Kyok-sik, the minister of the People's Armed Forces, fits in this scenario: He was a hardliner and a hawk, in other words: a permanent harasser in a possible attempt to find a way of in- and outside harmonisation, – without loosing the face. This is only speculation but a optimistic one: The try of more civil groups to change the North Korean society. If those “civil” groups would be more capitalistic than militaristic it will be fine: In the future one can buy them.

Till then the statement in the North Korean´s  essay should be kept in mind: “The successor´s destiny likely will be as fragile as a candle in the wind.”

Sonntag, 12. Mai 2013

Islamists in Russia...

...lautet der Titel eines Textes im Economist. Dort wird u. a. geschrieben bzw. auch zitiert:

"The rise of moderate Salafism has cut the number of young people becoming terrorists."

Zu dieser Überlegung wird man m. E. zwangsläufig auch in Europa und Deutschland kommen müssen, um die Szene halbwegs im Griff behalten zu können.