It looks like one of those semesters. I skipped convocation. Needless to say, the provost noticed. Oh well. At least I got through the initial set of meetings without needing another shot of blood pressure medication.
On the bright side, I've started working on a proposal for a grad class on race for education students. Hopefully, I'll be teaching it in the spring.
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6 comments:
It looks like you've got a target around your neck. Sucks to be you.
Your loyal readers have been missing you talking about North Korea and the Evil Empire. We haven't heard yet if the retirement of Kim Jong IL will happen as of September 1st and his son Jr. will be hailed as the new leader? We haven't heard if the president's visit has changed anything. Just as some are brainwashed into being dedicated followers of the fearless leader there are some that didn't bargain for the conditions there and have wanted to leave.
The DMZ seems to keep the hermit kingdom isolated from the rest of the world. Just as government diplomats from other countries have moved their offices there we haven't heard any word if any negotiations are occurring. We know that a stern warning has been issued to deter any use of nuclear weapons but aren't sure it has been effective. Elements not loyal to the newly hailed leader may stage a coup and take over leadership. They really should.
We are also waiting to hear who will be the representation to the UN. Is North Korea considered a country or not? They are listed in the re-organization of the East Asian Economic Community as a recognized unit but we don't know who they are aligned with yet. They seem to be keeping their secret assets hidden from the rest of the world. It would seem that it's only a matter of time that there would need to be an economic trade agreements made with neighboring countries.
The world has heard the rumors for years of Kim Jong Il's possible retirement but don't know what that will do to the country. Some speculate that without an authoritarian leader to hold the country together with the force of arms that the country would collapse once the outside world found out about all the problems they have been facing or creating for themselves. The UN may have to send in troops to just clean up the mess and provide stability to the region.
East Asia seems to have welcomed them joining their economic community but few may realize just what they bargained for. There seems to be a lot of government turmoil that just doesn't match up with the authoritarian rule that has occurred since the country was founded many years ago. Correspondence from North Korea has been slim and they don't allow mail service to the West. We really don't know if some of our relatives that have been living inside the DMZ are still with us or not. I hope something can be worked out soon.
Upon reading the last person's comments I didn't get the concern for North Korea at first. After reading it a second time I had to applaud the blogger's keen insight into the situation here.
I'm also interested in the government's situation in North Korea especially those individuals in government that oppose the authoritarian rule. There is concern as to what will happen to them.
My understanding is that North Korean dissenters are not nearly as determined as Begnino Aquino of the Phillipines or Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. However, the belligerence of Kim Jong's regime may yet force them into a more active mode of resistance.
As for Kim's succession, the American crime motif of "follow the money" might be the best analogy for evaluating the situation. One of the ironies of communist dictatorships like North Korea and Cuba is that money is even more important in these kinds of countries than it is in capitalist countries like the U. S.
One more observation about North Korea. Given that Kim Jong and George Bush (explored in my first post for this blog--http://red-state.blogspot.com/2006/07/love-song-for-kim-jong-il.html) enjoyed a homoerotic exchange that was highly satisfactory to both parties, it could be said that North Korea is one of the few places on earth (other than Iran) which genuinely regrets that George Bush is no longer president.
My suggestion for those dissenters in North Korea would be to wait it out until Kim Jong IL is no longer around to see what develops. I think there is a lot of changes in store for that country once he is gone. Similar to Cuba when Castro finally goes.
This situation has a lot of interest in that there is much speculation as to what will happen in the future. It reminds me of Yugoslavia under Marshall Tito; a strong authoritarian leader that ruled with force but brought in a lot of money from both sides of the Iron Curtain. He had his loyal followers in his inner circle that benefited by all that money. Once he was gone and communism fell the whole place erupted into chaos.
With Tito gone, a junior member of the old communist party took power and ruled in an attempt to great a "Greater Serbia" for him and only for those like him. Well, we all know what happened under Slobodan Milosevic's rule; it was a disaster and all the smaller units broke away into nation-states.
When Kim Jong IL is gone in North Korea will his successor become a Slobodan Milosevic? Will the place erupt into chaos? I think dissenters had better watch their backs because it is hard to know who is looking to make a move and rub out the opposition.
The people of North Korea need to know that they have a lot of support in the rest of the world to see positive changes take place there.
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