Call me simple, but I am confused about why, or even whether, North Korea will denuclearize. As we all know, North Korea is a dictatorship.  Worse yet, it is an inconceivably brutal dictatorship in the mold of Stalin.  Such a system can survive only as long as it crushes any and every hint of dissent within its borders.  Moreover, that kind of tyranny must be tightly organized, with a potentate at its center, surrounded by a ring of accomplices. It is these accomplices whom the dictator must be wary of.  He must keep them constantly pitted against each other, lest they pit themselves against him.  It is a delicate balance.  The ministers and generals must be kept in terror of Kim Jong-un but not in panic.  Panic leads to desperation, and if the evil ones who are closest to power feel that they are about to lose their safe positions, they will turn whatever weapons they have against the tyrant. So far, the...(Read Full Post)