Author: PhD Florin Gh. Ghețău
Kim Jong-un
We may surely say that the international agenda of 2017
has been heavily dominated by the North Korean nuclear issue. The installation of
the Trump administration has aggravated a long-standing problem on the agenda
of the White House presidents. The new American president believes that this
problem can only be solved by showing the American military superiority or by threatening
North Korea. But, as it has been seen, this approach does not work, and
economic sanctions have long time ago been proven worthless. In view of all
this, we should ask ourselves: Might the North Korean nuclear crisis be solved
in the way the US wants?
Before speculating on the evolution of the North Korean nuclear crisis, we should discuss a bit about the reasons that have produced it. The main purpose of a dictatorial regime is to maintain its power, despite any internal or external opposition. This is also the case of Kim Jong Un who should not be regarded as an eccentric character, or as an individual who should end up in the hands of psychiatrists, but as a totalitarian dictator who does everything in his power in order to prolong the life of his regime. His behavior may seem foolish to us, but he fits perfectly into the logic of the form of government represented by Kim Jong Un – the dictatorship. A dictatorial regime is based on force, and the Pyongyang dictator struggles on two fronts (against his own people and against the US and its allies) in order to strengthen his aura as the leader of an inexpugnable regime. Looking at the actions of the North Korean dictator from the perspective of the struggle for survival, we understand that he is not at all mad, but very rational, and that he pursues step by step the preservation of his authority over North Korea and that he is willing to do anything for attaining this vital objective.
