The Dinosaur Bears Its Teeth 05/29/2010
Aidan Foster-Carter, a researcher at Leeds University, gives an interview to The Economist in which he makes several sage points regarding Korean relations and the sinking of the Cheonan, a South Korean warship:
First, he suggests that North Korea’s motive for the attack has a lot to do with its feeling that the new South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, has ignored and marginalized it. Second, he argues that younger South Koreans are in denial about the effects of a future change of power in the North, meaning that any eventual re-unification talks will be fraught with difficulty. Finally, he points out that one of the perverse effects of ending the 'sunshine' policy has been to push Pyongyang ever closer to China. When the hermit kingdom finally does crumble, this combination of over-reliance and denial could lead to the emergence of a Chinese client state. For anyone concerned with the balance of power in Asia, this is not very heartening.
Click here to listen to the whole interview.
First, he suggests that North Korea’s motive for the attack has a lot to do with its feeling that the new South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, has ignored and marginalized it. Second, he argues that younger South Koreans are in denial about the effects of a future change of power in the North, meaning that any eventual re-unification talks will be fraught with difficulty. Finally, he points out that one of the perverse effects of ending the 'sunshine' policy has been to push Pyongyang ever closer to China. When the hermit kingdom finally does crumble, this combination of over-reliance and denial could lead to the emergence of a Chinese client state. For anyone concerned with the balance of power in Asia, this is not very heartening.
Click here to listen to the whole interview.
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