Today’s Japan Photo

emergence, originally uploaded by TommyOshima.

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Kimjongnamology

Chosun Daily – still relying on intelligence officers – and Hankyoreh indulge in the hallowed study of autocrats’ every utterance, this time with Kim Jong-nam, the first son of Kim Jong-il.

Kim disappeared from his hotel on Sunday, leaving behind only statements that leave room for plenty of interpretations.

That’s all.

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Don’t Expect a Chinese Livingstone

I suspect the spin, that Beijing takes the “long view” is just a nice way of avoiding saying PRC is as greedy as any non-African country can afford to be. Yet, instead of anomalies, the implosion of Congo and Guinea prove the limits of Beijing’s “don’t interfere in internal politics” approach. Actually, it’s rather shortsighted. Insofar as Dutch disease causes political instability, Beijing’s own support for extraction only accelerates the decay of local government authority all that much faster, and disrupts in turn its long-term relations. It raises the question how fast Beijing can extract before crisis ensues, and how often will the crisis prove only temporary enough not to justify worrying about internal affairs in the first place. Instead of long-term, I would call Beijing’s attitude ruthlessly myopic.

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