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balzor
Joined: 14 Feb 2009
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oskinny1
Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Location: Right behind you!
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 Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 3:15 pm Post subject: |
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Is North Korea the last hardcore communist state?
No. Pyongyang struck communism from its constitution in 2009. Informed observers compare North Korea to the militaristic Japan of the 1930s: It worships its leader like a god; prioritizes its military in all policies; feels threatened by the wider world; is virulently nationalistic; and is accused of abusing human rights. |
I've said this to Koreans, especially the part about being like Japan, but they never believe me. |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Pyongyang struck communism from its constitution in 2009. Informed observers compare North Korea to the militaristic Japan of the 1930s: It worships its leader like a god; prioritizes its military in all policies; feels threatened by the wider world; is virulently nationalistic; and is accused of abusing human rights. |
Not a bad comparison. A difference would be that North Korea has no extraterritorial ambitions(with the possible exception of taking over South Korea, but I doubt that KJI gives a rat's ass about that anymore).
As well, and somewhat connected to the above point, North Korea is nowhere near being the kind of up-and-coming world power that Japan was in the 1930s. No one seriously worries that they're gonna annex Manchuria or bomb California. The only streed cred they maintain on the global stage is a result of their ability to menace their neighbours with one-off threats. That, and China sees them as a useful buffer against a US-allied South Korea. |
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Blockhead confidence
Joined: 02 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 4:46 am Post subject: |
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There's a famous article by B R Meyers who aregues that North Korea is really like militarised Japan.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/09/mother-of-all-mothers/3403/
Personally I still go with Bruce Cummings who, for all his lesser errors, is still probably right that North Korea shares more with the old Chosen state than anywhere else.
i.e. Its emphasis on the state as large family and barricading itself from the outside world show a continuity with the Korea of before the Japanese occupation. |
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