Asia
North Korea
Introduction: North Korea is the product of Japanese oppression. From 1910 to 1945 Japan subjugated the Korean population and plundered its resources.
The Korean Liberation Army was schooled in China during the period that Mao was driving out the running dogs of imperialism. Small wonder then that the majority of Koreans harboured the same sentiments as China's communist revolutionaries.
The last sentence is one way of telling history. However, the truth is far simpler; the majority of Koreans were peasant farmers, unused to doing anything except toiling in the mud. They really didn't care who was in charge, they just wanted a chance to get on toiling on their own behalf, rather than for the Japanese. Kim ll-Sung had other ideas and the peasants had no choice but to become communist revolutionaries.
Post-1945, the UN divied up the country between Russia and the US. The Soviet's stayed long enough to install a client regime in the North and the US did the same in the South, then they left. The situation in the South was far from settled. Mao, now in control of China aided the North in its war with the South.
The Korean War began in 1950 and ended in 1953, without resolution. Someone drew a line in the sand at the 38th parallel and open warfare ceased but the war continues to this day.
That war signalled the beginning of the 20th Century's descent into the biggest fantasy in human history, in which one half of the world was brain washed into believing that the other half was trying to enslave it with malevolent ideas.
Inside the fantasy world of the Kims'.
When Kim II Sung became the first leader of Korea in the post-War period the fantasy began. Kim needed to build his personality cult and so invented a whole raft of comic book exploits, with himself as the hero. North Korean students are taught that it was Kim II Sung who drove the Japanese out of Korea, single-handedly.
Kim passed on his heroic cape to his son, Jong-il in 1994.
The likeness between Kim ll Sung and grandson Kim Jong-un is uncanny. Kim
Jong-un is the son of Kim Jong-il. They say the baby-faced bloater was educated in Switzerland, an unlikely story. It's more likely that Jong-un was being worked on by Swiss plastic surgeons, whilst consuming a whole chocolate factory.
When Kim Jong-il, expired, 2011, North Korea's 24 million citizens were probably told that Kim ll Sung had returned as a younger version of himself. Fully invigorated and full of verve, ready to lead the nation backward into thermo-nuclear oblivion.
Readers may not be aware that Kim ll Sung, who 'died' in 1994, is still North Korea's Eternal President. So, it's an historical fact that North Korea has been ruled for 16 years by a dead man - small wonder that it's been so difficult to do business in the region. Add in the fact that the war between the two halves of Korea is still current, the future looks bleak.
Kim Jong-il's escape into fantasy was made all the more urgent as his country descended into some kind Pol Pot nightmare. Put simply, food supplies in crisis and only gifts from China are keeping the wolf from the door.
Things got so bad that Kim had resorted to buying presents from Beijing Silk Markets from Del Boys selling fake Rolex watches, Armani Suits and Gucci handbags as gifts for the party faithful.
South Korea intelligence reported North Korean diplomats were asking for food aid when meeting with officials in foreign countries.
Clearly, bloater boy had his own food supply, well he would wouldn't he, being a superhero - and now he also has the cape.
North Korea is not a country, it's a comic book backdrop, a kind of large Gotham City, where an elite of cartoon characters weave amazing exploits. Bloater boy spends his days adding to the mythology of men who soar like eagles above the clouds or swoop down from the White Mountains and bring a reign of terror on small creatures in the muddy fields.
The key to understanding Afghanistan is this - it is not a country harbouring terrorists, it's a place where terrorists are harbouring a country.
Geography: Pile of rocks west of Iran. They say (the historians) that in the 15th century Herat was the centre of the universe, the heart of Asia. This was the place to see and be seen for A-list celebs back in the day.
Population: est. 30 million depending on which slaughtering warlord is in power. The Russians managed to reduce the population by 1.5 million. How many civilians have died since 2001 is a secret.
Age Expectancy: Only 2% of the population are 65 plus, so no pension problems to speak of.
GDP: est. $29 billion, i.e. about the same amount as Roman Abramovich has in a biscuit tin under his bed. A key part of the mix is services, e.g., reconstruction - the Americans build something, the Talibs blow it up and the whole process starts again
Key exports: opium, opium, more opium, soap, and terrorism, and yes, precious gems - sent direct to a Swiss safe deposit box.
Government: doesn't have one, except in Kabul, where this year's President hides in his palace. According to the Taliban, Afghanistan doesn't need politics because it's got Islam, which obviously transends all else - obvious to anyone who feels at home in the 7th Century.
Economy: doesn't actually have one, lots of camel trading goes on among a loose coalition of stall holders but 50% of the population are unemployed and if you include all the kids who would work, if there were some, instead of sitting around waiting for the school to be re-built and pretending they would go, if there was one, the unemployment figure goes up to around 85%.
Statistics: what the outsider needs to understand about Afghanistan is that everything is an estimate, simply no one knows anything. The CIA Fact Book page on Afghanstan is shorter than the one for the achievements of New Labour.
Future Prospects: nil. Afghanistan is geographic space occupied by a number of tribes who don't like each other and like outsiders less. The only thing Afghans dislike more than outsiders is a Talib but since Talibs will cut your feet off for not walking backwards on alternate Tuesdays, no one's prepared to complain about their unreasonable behaviour. Afghans do not want the Taliban but neither do they want western style democracy, they want MP3 players and plasma TVs but not crazy ideas like education and equality for women; they want corruption and fraud, they want to be just like western democracies without the charade of elections every four or five years.
Politics
In December 2004, Hamid Karzai became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. He served until 29 September 2014. He was the first democratically elected leader of the country.
In April 2014 a curious election took place, 20.7 million voter cards were distributed. Afghanistan has a population of 27 million, half are under the voting age of 18. Work out the legitimacy of this election for yourself.
Myanmar/Burma
In Myanmar the army spent 2017 attempting to exterminate the Rohingya Muslims. Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, was in charge of the killing! Aung San Suu Kyi, the token leader of Burma, spent the year pretending that there was nothing to see, no problems, all was fine with Buddha and Burma was a great place for a holiday. The Rohingya took a different view and 700,000 thousand fled to Bangladesh. Aung San Suu Kyi appeared at The International Court of Justice 2019, where one of Aung's solicitors stupidly claimed that only 10,000 Rihingya had died, so that was hardly a genocide. Bangladesh really did not want them and Aung did a deal with Bangladesh to get the Rohingya to come back to Burma, so that the army can get on with the killing.
In her political career Mother Suu never went out much, due to the fact that the military dictatorship had her under house arrest for 15 years. On being let out she became no more than an apologist for the army rulers, she blamed the conflict on Rohingya sectarian insurgents.
