I have a theory (About North Korea)

[HolidayFriday]

So with Kim Jong Un making suicidal attack threats on the U.S. and the rest of the world, I've considered the circumstances and developed a theory.

You see, he can't really attack anyone conventionally because if he sent his army anywhere, they'd all escape. The only country that would actually apprehend and return his army would be China, but that would mean attacking China.

So, he's begun a series of nuclear threats.



Clearly, he cannot win a war, but as long as he's telling everyone that he intends to strike from home, the army doesn't get to leave. In fact, he's telling his army that he intends a missile assault as well.



It's kind of a mix of propaganda in his efforts to keep morale high while not actually having to plan on using the army elsewhere.

Discuss.

[almostapathetic]

At some point there will be a coup. It's inevitable, right?

He must mow down anyone who even hints at the word.

[HolidayFriday]

That country has so little an idea of what's going on in the rest of the world that it's mind boggling. They're in their own little world where the only information comes from their government.

[PlusCaChange]

Read 'The Dictator's Handbook', by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith. It's all explained there.

[cunnalingus]

I bet Kim Jong un has harems full of hot Korean woman willing to do anything he wants with his dick. Being a dictator actually sounds pretty sweet.

[lemmiwinx]

Since when does a fat ugly chinaman with a scary haircut get to share the same headlines with the likes of a Donald Trump? He needs to be squashed (Kim not Trump).

[SkeetDixon]

I love the current North Korea and their wacky ways. They are no threat to anyone. They're kind of like a nippy Welsh Corgi. They have been neutral for decades despite whatever they may "officially" say. That wacko chinamen with the fade is constantly
making empty threats. They've been doing that for decades.

The threat of nuclear devices is just an overblown tool of the government/media to push for government intervention under the guise of a "preemptive strike".

[happysock]

I bet Kim Jong un has harems full of hot Korean woman willing to do anything he wants with his dick. Being a dictator actually sounds pretty sweet.

[almostapathetic]

I bet Kim Jong un has harems full of hot Korean woman willing to do anything he wants with his dick. Being a dictator actually sounds pretty sweet.

[PlusCaChange]

Being a dictator actually sounds pretty sweet.

It's a dangerous job. You have to keep your supporters supplied with enough goodies while simultaneously disempowering the general population you live off of. The problem is disempowered people are generally not very productive, so where do you get the money for the goodies? Foreign aid is a good source but foreigners expect useful services for their money.

In North Korea's case they cut back on the expenses by keeping their people so isolated even cheap privileges seem like great rewards. They get support from China for being a gadfly to China and the USA. The only serious threat to Kim Joung-un is one of his supporters threatening to give his backers better rewards than he offers and he's quite ruthless about weeding those people out.

The same political factors which shape North Korea work every.where, the differences in outcome result from the percentage of the population which must be conciliated to retain power. In a two-party democracy you generally need something over 25% of the voters (half the people in half the electoral districts) maybe 15% of the population. In North Korea they have it pared down to a couple percent (the army and high officials). In a democracy there are too many people to reward with direct bribes so politicians mostly use public policy (they still directly bribe VIPs) to reward their supporters. Political theater like executive orders about who can use public restrooms are great because they are rewards which cost nothing. Kim does a similar thing with his public brainwashing and posturing but mostly he just slops his supporters with the scraps he diverts from the mouths of the oppressed general population and the money given him by China for being obnoxious the the USA and Japan.