Global community needs to look for regional options as UN sanctions have failed. However, China must be taken into confidence before any serious step is taken against Kim, otherwise the dictator may trigger a regional war
With the recent nuclear test, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has once again provoked the Korean Peninsula. His clandestine nuclear programme is not only a threat to his country but also to its neighbours. Despite that it has been observed that Kim’s family rule has brought more stability, rather than an impending fall as many political pundits predicted in the past.
The fifth nuclear test that he conducted this month has definitely shown how he has achieved greater potential to unleash massive disaster in the peninsula. Though his actions are abhorrent, this has worked a long way to stabilise his family regime and national pride of his impoverished countrymen. So far he is not bothered at all about the international repercussions as well as sanctions brought by the United Nations and other powerful global players. Despite international sanctions, he is continuously carrying out his activities which have the potential to jeopardise the regional equations. The pertinent
question at the moment is who will stop himIJ Will he listen to ChinaIJ Can a severe UN sanction force him to roll back his nuclear programmeIJ Can there be a possibility of a political opposition that can unseat him sometime in futureIJ
North Korea has survived and it will probably move on like the same way. It is widely believed that unless Kim’s family rule ends, there can be no other alternative to stop the future generation to rule this forgotten country. The people of the country believe that if the Kim dynasty falls, the whole country will be ruined for sure. Creating this kind of paranoia around the country helps successive Kims to continue their rule over millions of ill-fed North Koreans. So imagine the plight of the people who are either undergoing endless sufferings or are simply very happy to have their divine rulers rule them. Even in the worst of the days of divine rules, no commoners had suffered like the way the North Koreans of today are undergoing humiliation, punishment and terror in each passing day.
The Theory of Divine Rights prescribes that the king can no more be questioned and simply his subjects have to obey him. As the king is the descendant of God and questioning him means questioning the almighty, so no one ever dares to raise anything against him. Further any act of wrongdoing by the people is an evil act done to God. Thus the perpetual rule of the almighty in the form of the king continues who was supposed to look after the affairs of the populace. Then why question him and who dares to do soIJ Of course, no one has the right to ever utter a single word against his power and authority in those medieval days. With the emergence of resistance to the papal authority and its influence over the king, the gradual shift towards people’s participation started. However this took a longer duration than expected and people suffered a lot during this tug of war. But eventually the divine rights of the kings and extra-judicial powers of the church were stripped off in course of time. Since then, the Europe has come all the way to embrace democracy and its fabulous combinations of rights, responsibilities and participatory mode of governance so far.
However, in other parts of the world like that of Asia, dynasties ruled and followed by the imperial administrations of European powers. Many of these Asian countries like that of North Korea had preferred more of authoritarian rule than directly moving onto the western model of democracy. Ironically, with the bitter separation of the two Koreas, the North has been ruled by the Kim’s family since 1948. Whereas the South has gone much ahead and has earned the protection of the key western powers like that of the United States of America till date. As very few things are made public about the Kim dynasty, its secrecy helps more to sustain the rule of successive generations. And they all rule like the divine kings of the medieval age. Their authority is beyond any doubt and no one has the courage to defy it. Even if there are dissenters, the world is rightly unaware about their fate in the hands of the mystic Kims and their brutal army. So who will stop himIJ No one, except himself, and the God probably.
China can definitely put pressure on the regime. Being the largest trading partner of the regime, China can surely set the agenda of action. If China acts, the rest of the world can move towards North Korea. Probably China does not want to create trouble in its neighbourhood which may eventually see the millions of North Korean refugees flowing into the former. This will create a human tragedy and China cannot afford the same to happen. Rather China wants its business to continue with occasional warnings issued to the ruthless dictator. However, China’s willingness to act can prevent Kim furthering his nuclear programme.
At no point, the UN sanctions can stop Kim from testing more nuclear weapons. Since October 2006, the Kim dynasty has been conducting these nuclear experiments and no UN sanction has worked till date. Of course his countrymen are suffering because of the severe economic sanctions, but his nuclear weapons programme is surviving on whatever revenue he is earning from limited trading partners like China.
It is the sole responsibility of the UN to bring him to the civilised world and make his people free from his divine rule. If the UN cannot do, who will doIJ If this is the way global governance institutions are falling and sounding incapable, we must look for strong regional mechanisms that can bring pressure on North Korea.
Hoping for the emergence of an opposition to Kim’s world is futile. looking at his total control and continued brutality of the army, no opposition can dare to challenge him. If there can be funding from advanced countries to topple his regime, he might take the help of his nuclear weapons to unleash terror across Asia. Countries like China will never ever support the idea of bringing down the Kim dynasty as it also survives on a mild form of authoritarian rule which only gets changed after a certain period of time.
Finally, to stop Kim’s madness, the global community must look for regional options than UN sanctions. However China must be taken into confidence before any serious step is taken against Kim. Kim’s irrational actions very much serve his country’s self interest and thus he justifies his rule every other day. But he must be warned, if not stopped in totality sooner or later.
(The writer is Senior Editor, The Pioneer)