Randomness 2

[Swordfish941]

Originally Posted by MT2008

As much as I would like to get excited about this, Kim Jong Il's death means that there's probably going to be a lot of in-fighting between various factions of the regime, including a possible succession crisis. And anyone familiar with the workings of the DPRK will tell you that party turmoil is when the regime becomes most bellicose, and the most unpredictable.

So, basically everything is going to go to hell?

[The Wierd It]

Originally Posted by Swordfish941

So, basically everything is going to go to hell?

More than it already has.

This could even mean the party collapses in on itself.

[k9870]

Civil war, violent revolution, all that is not gonna happen. Kim jong hasn't really been in power for a while months ago many though he had actually died already and it was being kept secret. We can just take pleasure in the fact a brutal dictator bit the dust.

[The Wierd It]

In other news I have found the most pointless site on the internet.

[Evil Tim]

Originally Posted by The Wierd It

In other news I have found the most pointless site on the internet.

I hover over that link and it isn't TVTropes. I am disappoint.

[S&Wshooter]

The job was pushed back until next Tuesday by the people running the refinery

[Markit]

Originally Posted by Swordfish941

So, basically everything is going to go to hell?

No, but it has been a remarkable year for global affairs when some long-term tyrants have all been deposed or bit the dust in a series of months, while others are facing the first serious opposition they have had in years.

It is in North Korea's interest to make the transition as smooth as possible, whether Kim Jong Un is actually the leader or a mere figurehead, while the South is unlikely to involve itself unless it is a last resort.

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by k9870

Civil war, violent revolution, all that is not gonna happen. Kim jong hasn't really been in power for a while months ago many though he had actually died already and it was being kept secret. We can just take pleasure in the fact a brutal dictator bit the dust.

I think I've demonstrated on numerous occasions that you have a very poor grasp of international affairs, but...if this is really such a trivial matter, why do you think the South is on high alert right now? I suppose you know something that they don't?

Also, I never said that the DPRK is going to descend into civil war (not the kind that broke out in Libya, anyway). There is a possibility of instability from the top down, however, which means that nobody will really be in control of the entire government for a period of time. As I'm sure you can imagine, the countries that have had to deal with North Korea (on nukes and regional security matters) are used to dealing with a single guy. In the situation we're facing now, dealing with Kim Jong Un and his supporters may be useless because another faction in the regime has goals and terms for negotiations that are completely different. That sort of opacity can be very dangerous in foreign relations.

Originally Posted by Swordfish941

So, basically everything is going to go to hell?

It's not inevitable, but I'd hold off on the celebrations until we know more about what's going on within the regime. The analysts I know are particularly interested in whether the military is 100% behind Kim Jong Un (even though he was promoted to General last year) - if they're not very supportive of him, and (worse) prefer someone else, that means things could get messy.

Originally Posted by Markit

No, but it has been a remarkable year for global affairs when some long-term tyrants have all been deposed or bit the dust in a series of months, while others are facing the first serious opposition they have had in years.

I'm happy that so many enemies of America have died this year (Bin Laden, Qaddafi, and now Kim), but the fall of dictators is rarely worthy celebrating until we know who's going to replace them.

[MT2008]

In other news...watch "Homeland" if you guys haven't already. It's a really, really awesome show. Not too much gun porn, but the season finale featured what may be the very first Hollywood appearance of FN's FNP-45 (actually, it might be the first time any FNP variant has appeared in a movie or TV show).

[Swordfish941]

Originally Posted by The Wierd It

In other news I have found the most pointless site on the internet.

No, this is the most pointless site on the internet.