On Fri, Nov 26, 2010 at 8:36 AM, JD Fleming
<jfleming@sfu.ca> wrote:
Well, a thorough UN investigation found that North Korea, the country with which South Korea is technically at war, sank that South Korean naval vessel, in waters that the two of them dispute. Pretty simple, indeed. I don't know why a "qui bono" is needed, under such circumstances.
I think the Chinese government's failure to condemn or control its client's actions, thereby putting the region and the entire world at what may its most serious current risk of mutilateral war -- at the centre of which would be a totally insane and desperate regime armed with nuclear weapons -- is exceedingly irresponsible.
North Korea's economic and political instability is a problem for China, too. It "has to" keep supporting NK only insofar as it wants to keep a forked stick in the face of the US, South Korea, and Japan. And why is it in line with China's trade-based interests to do so? It isn't. It is only in line with the Chinese government's latent nationalist, even jingoistic, tendencies. So an irrational actor, NK, is being backed by another, and much larger, irrational actor, China; in a region with multiple tripwires for conflict, at a time when the inevitable counteractor, the US, seems unsure how to proceed.
All of which is very worrying. Or so it looks from my armchair. I would be very happy to hear from members of the list who are actually expert in relevant areas.
JD Fleming
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Crawford" <cbcrawford@gmail.com>
To: "JD Fleming" <jfleming@sfu.ca>
Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2010 9:06:25 PM
Subject: Re: Remembering Holodomor
The situation is not simple. North Korea is kind of a pawn of both the
USA and China. After I read the BBC piece I quickly understood why
China must continue to support North Korea, in a low key way, and why
the USA needs to threaten North Korea, but not too strongly. Now it
seems to me that the North Korean leadership is a little crazy, but
given their situation their craziness has a wiliness about it. An
interesting question is who sank the South Korean torpedo boat - to
whose benefit was the sinking: North Korea, South Korea, China, the
USA?
Charles Crawford
On 25 November 2010 20:30, JD Fleming <jfleming@sfu.ca> wrote:
> In my view, whatever North Korea thinks it has to worry about is among the least of the things we have to worry about. On the other hand, North Korea itself is probably among the first of the things we have to worry about -- although that is only now becoming apparent to mere citizen observers (like me). JD Fleming
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Charles Crawford" <cbcrawford@gmail.com>
> To: "Gary Mauser" <mauser@sfu.ca>
> Cc: "faculty-forum Forum" <faculty-forum@sfu.ca>
> Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2010 8:10:51 PM
> Subject: Re: Remembering Holodomor
>
> You might want to check out the following website on the history of
> the Korean war and its role the current conflict
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11839284
>
> It is on the BBC News website makes it a bit clearer why North Korea
> may think it owns those islands and why it has to worry about who does
> own them.
>
> Charles Crawford
>
> On 25 November 2010 17:52, Gary Mauser <mauser@sfu.ca> wrote:
>>
>> Given the concern of the SFU faculty for atrocities, I thought remembering
>> Stalin's genocidal efforts might be in order.
>> It is easy to forget that Stalin and Mao murdered more people than did
>> Hitler.
>> ..... But we remember.
>> Gary
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>>
>>
>> Please find attached Holodomor statements from the Prime Minister and
>> Minister Kenney.
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>> Jennifer
>>
>> Jennifer Olchowy
>> NHQ - Minister's Office | AC - Cabinet ministre
>> Citizenship and Immigration Canada | Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada
>> 365 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa ON K1A 1L1 | 365, avenue Laurier Ouest Ottawa
>> ON K1A 1L1
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Charles Crawford, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Simon Fraser University
> •Crawford, C. & Krebs, D. (2008). Foundations of Evolutionary
> psychology, Taylor and Francis, for those who want to learn
> evolutionary psychology from the ground up.
> •My work: http://www.sfu.ca/faculty/crawford
> •Sterling Prize for controversy: http://www.sfu.ca/sterlingprize/recipients.html
> • Glass Artist, Michael Deptuch -
> http://web.me.com/the_depfords/www.depfordglass.ca/Michael_Deptuch_Glass_Artist.html
>
> --
> James Dougal Fleming
> Associate Professor
> Department of English
> Simon Fraser University
>
> "to see what is questionable"
>
--
Charles Crawford, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Simon Fraser University
•Crawford, C. & Krebs, D. (2008). Foundations of Evolutionary
psychology, Taylor and Francis, for those who want to learn
evolutionary psychology from the ground up.
•My work: http://www.sfu.ca/faculty/crawford
•Sterling Prize for controversy: http://www.sfu.ca/sterlingprize/recipients.html
• Glass Artist, Michael Deptuch -
http://web.me.com/the_depfords/www.depfordglass.ca/Michael_Deptuch_Glass_Artist.html
--
James Dougal Fleming
Associate Professor
Department of English
Simon Fraser University
"to see what is questionable"