Benevolent leader. Military genius. Consensus builder. Renaissance man.
These are all descriptions of someone who will quite possibly go down in history as the greatest statesman of the 21st century:
North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un is struggling to stay relevant in a world that has generally forgotten that Pyongyang exists.
Pressing matters of global concern such as the proliferation of ISIS cells in Western Europe, the intractable conflict in Syria, still fraught relations between the West and a resurgent Iran, the return of Russia to the forefront of global politics, and the rise of the Chinese juggernaut have all conspired to permanently relegate Kim’s reclusive nation to the geopolitical backburner. And the young leader isn’t happy about it.
That’s why he’s ratcheted up the nuclear rhetoric over the past six months and sought to convince the international community that the next nation to insult the North will be wiped off the face of the planet by weapons “unknown to the world” (to quote the DPRK).
Of course Kim, like Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, depends for political survival on convincing the beleaguered masses that the country is engaged in an epic ideological struggle with the United States. The public has no idea how little anyone in Washington actually cares about the proclamations of the Supreme Leader and if they did, they’d revolt immediately. But as it stands, Pyongyang has managed to preserve the illusion in the five years since Kim Jong-il’s death.
On Saturday, we get a look at a new propaganda video out of the North in which the DPRK warns “American imperialists” against provocations.
The video is called “Last Chance,” and it contains a series of hilarious warnings from the North to the “gang of cruel robbers” – as Kim is fond of calling US officials – in Washington. “If the American imperialists provoke us a bit, we will not hesitate to slap them with a pre-emptive nuclear strike,” the clip cautions. “The United States must choose! It’s up to you whether the nation called the United States exists on this planet or not.”
Enjoy.
via Zero Hedge http://ift.tt/1XUPXZ9 Tyler Durden