Juche = rubbish

North Korea's nuclear policy is not irrational at all: "The background to North Korea's test is that, since the end of the cold war, the nuclear states have tried to impose a double standard, hanging on to nuclear weapons for themselves and their friends while denying them to others. Like alcoholics condemning teenage drinking, the nuclear powers have made the spread of nuclear weapons the terror of our age, distracting attention from their own behaviour. Western leaders refuse to accept that our own actions encourage others to follow suit."

Er... this I agree with largely.

North Korea's foreign policy is rational, at least in that one can see why they have done what they are doing. But...

But... the DPRK makes everything pretty hard for socialists to defend. When I learned about the Juche idea - the supposed ideology of Kim Il Sung - I found it hard not to laugh. In fact, I laughed. It's patent rubbish. Self reliance is no ideology. But some of the romantic rubbish - like how a Juche football team can win, if I remember right it's about attacking them down the wings - was truly pathetic.

(Well, who knows, if we regard Juche as being a meaningless PR construct like "the third way" then i guess it might be something Tony could use try and put some ideological foundation into New Labour.)

What kind of socialist country has a dynasty in charge? Bush to Bush, Clinton to Clinton, I can understand. Kim to Kim to Kim III? That is a monarchy.

And my own view is they should demilitarise, rather than push on with nukes. They can't use them. If they did it would be a genocidal crime. And what is the point of running a military economy forever. I don't think you can build socialism in that way - even if that's what they are trying to do - which i doubt.