Monk

Kim Jong-il died late last week, the grand dictator of North Korea. It was not regarded as that much of a tragedy in the West. Indeed, we were more amazed to see such deep and loud grief on the part of the North Koreans. It had been common to see North Korea as the living emodiment of Orwell's "1984" and Kim as its Big Brother, but until reading Kristof's column this morning, I did not know how diligently Kim followed the model.

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Considering how ill and dangerous world affairs has been looking lately, we should perhaps note this clearing of the skies over the Korean peninsula:

BEIJING, Feb. 13 -- In a landmark international accord, North Korea promised Tuesday to close down and seal its lone nuclear reactor within 60 days in return for 50,000 tons of fuel oil as a first step in abandoning all nuclear weapons and research programs.

North Korea also reaffirmed a commitment to disable the reactor in an undefined next phase of denuclearization and to discuss with the United States and other nations its plutonium fuel reserves and other nuclear programs that "would be abandoned" as part of the process. In return for taking those further steps, the accord said, North Korea would receive additional "economic, energy and humanitarian assistance up to the equivalent of 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil."

Of course, this deal can fall apart again - been there, done that. And I would be surprised if it did not fall apart. However, as we have been living in this situation in which war is continuously ginning up ever since 9/11, this glimpse of progress toward a more peaceful world is worth beholding. It is nice to know that at least such things are possible. I almost feel like breaking out in a chorus of Kumbaya.

Maybe Monk should try a diet? Nah, some things are truly impossible.


(Source: Edward Cody for The Washington Post)

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The furor over Kim Jong Il’s missile tests and nuclear brinksmanship obscures the real threat: the prospect of North Korea’s catastrophic collapse. How the regime ends could determine the balance of power in Asia for decades. The likely winner? China

-- Robert D. Kaplan for The Atlantic

Thus Mr. Kaplan prefaces his extensive backgrounder on the North Korean question. I haven't read the second half of the article myself, save for a quick-skimming now, but I thought it was worth a heads-up. I'm including a colorful excerpt on how Kaplan sees the fallout of a North Korean attack on the south, even though it is considered highly unlikely.

( BOOM )

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