Written by Michael Thervil
Photo provided by the KCNA (Korean Central News Agency)
If there are two things that the world knows about North Korea is one: North Korea doesn’t care nothing about the U.S., the U.N. or the E.U. 's sanctioning them and two: they don’t bluff. These two notions are the only things that have kept America from really displaying any real aggression towards North Korea. With North Korea starting to play both a key role in Africa in terms of increasing both weapon sales and their influence in Africa, this further legitimizes them on the world stage. For years North Korea has been the butt of various jokes, but it is starting to appear that the world's perception of North Korea is starting to change.
Photo provided by the KCNA (Korean Central News Agency)
A couple of days ago North Korean leader Kim-Jong-Un met with Russian President Putin to discuss what appeared to be a weapons trade deal. The details that were discussed in these “advancing talks” are still largely unknown. However, given the nature of geopolitics, it can be assumed that there was at least some sort of barter to be made between both leaders. Could it be weapons for food and or some kind of human labor? Or is it the exchange of weapons for military cooperation? Or could it be the trading of weapon technology in exchange for actionable intelligence? Again, the world doesn’t fully know and probably will never know until something happens. Either way, the bilateral relations between Russia and North Korea are most definitely increasing to a larger degree.
Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko
What anyone can bet serious money on is that North Korea is a wild card worth taking seriously when it comes to the selling and trading of weapons given their proven track record of defying the long-standing sanctions placed upon them by the Collective West. In a statement delivered by U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, he stated about the ever-advancing weapons talk between Russia and North Korea that: “it’s not going to reflect well on North Korea, and they will pay a price for this in the international community”. Anyone who has been observing the geo-political landscape for the last 20 years already knows that these words towards North Korea will fall on deaf ears. Moreover, the empty threats issued by the United States will serve as nothing more than a motivating factor for North Korea to continue to keep doing what they always have been doing; and that is resisting the sanctions placed on them by the Collective West.
Photo by Reuters
Let’s face reality, even though it was officially reported by North Korea that they “never had arms dealings with Russia”' and that they “have no plans to do so in the future”. We all know that North Korean weapons will be sold to someone, and that someone will buy them, and those weapons will end up on the battlefield. Where that battlefield is, we’re betting on Africa. We are saying this because of the level of diplomatic ties that are being restored to North Korea from the countries in Africa who are still in the early stages of their military coups. Make no mistake about it – North Korea doesn’t care what America, the European Union nor what the United Nations has to say when it comes to forging weapons deals with any country that is willing to do business with them – especially a country such as Russia. Keep in mind that South Africa intercepted a shipment of weapons from North Korea to Central Africa in 2010. however, in more recent times as late as this March of this year, the African nation of Burkina Faso has began to reopen weapons trade lines with North Korea.
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