Foreign Policy

nytimes.com
December 20, 2011
Choe Sang-Hun
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/21/world/asia/kim-jong-un-pays-respects-to-kim-jong-il.html?scp=4&sq=north%20korea&st=cse

Summary-
    Since the sudden death of Kim Jong-Il, his son Kim Jong-Un has assumed the role of leadership in North Korea. The country is officially in mourning, and the transition between leaders seems to have been fairly smooth. A campaign of complimentary propaganda toward Kim Jong-Un has begun in North Korea, most likely to engender the same kind of hero worship in the North Korean people that they felt toward his father.

Connection-
    The new leadership in North Korea provides an excellent opportunity to try to negotiate more successfully with them. The attempts that will surely follow to reach peaceful resolutions on topics like nuclear proliferation with the North Koreans will certainly affect America's foreign policies. This connects to many discussions in class that have touched upon the importance of negotiation in politics, such as the activities at the beginning of the year involving getting the founding fathers to agree on the new constitution. If everyone had firmly refused to yield on issues, there would be no constitution today. Without some give-and-take with North Korea, nothing will be achieved.

Personal Reaction-
    It seems hopeful that Kim Jong-Un has had some experience interacting with people in Switzerland in his teenage years. This at least means that he has not been surrounded by only North Koreans his whole life, and may not view the rest of the world entirely as "outsiders."