You can laugh at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, discussing his comical figure or hairstyle, but he should not be underestimated, especially when Pyongyang, under his leadership, is so actively establishing ties with Moscow. This is a very serious situation. Economic US-led sanctions did not change the situation, and the countries found ways to get closer. Bloomberg columnist Mark Champion writes about this.
The true and detailed details of the negotiations have not been published, but British intelligence allegedly has information that military contracts did take place. The first supplies of ammunition from North Korea, according to a report by Western experts, were already last year and this year, but now the flow could turn into full-scale deliveries.
However, someone may wonder why Russia cannot do what Ukraine is doing? After all, Kyiv also receives weapons and ammunition from many countries around the world. But there is still a difference between helping the defender and the attacker
– writes Champion.
He suggests paying attention to another fact. Kim made it clear that he visited Russia to forge a “strategic” alliance against the US, the “evil” hegemon and enemy, and not just to trade ammunition.
The lesson for Washington is that the West's 30-year hiatus without a peer adversary is over. Of course, the United States and Europe have had to deal with rival states and competitors before, as well as international terrorists and so-called rogue states, especially Kim's North Korea. But there was no strategic enemy acting very cunningly, with dignity, and desperately against the West. Now it's Russia, and it's bringing a motley crew of like-minded countries to its cause.
At first it was Iran, although Moscow’s relations with Tehran did not develop until 2015. Then came China, India and finally North Korea. Given enough such allies, the very idea of rogue states may no longer make sense. They will become a block that can cause significant damage.
This is not yet the real Cold War of the past, so far only a simplified version, but events are developing tendentiously, the author believes. So the West needs to take more seriously what Russian President Vladimir Putin and his allies are saying, because it will mean more strategic thinking and more protection, especially for Europe. There is little hope for a reboot.