The Atlantic (July/August Issue)
Although Donald Trump called Kim “a madman with nuclear weapons,” North Korea’s leader “appears to be neither suicidal nor crazy.” In fact, “he has acted with brutal efficiency to consolidate that power; the assassination of his half brother is only the most recent example. As tyrants go, he’s shown appalling natural ability…. his moves have been nothing if not deliberate and even cruelly rational.” With only bad options for dealing with the North, this is “perhaps the most reassuring thing.”
Tags: Appalling, Assassination, Brutal, Crazy, Deliberate, Efficiency, Kim, Madman, North Korea, Nuclear weapons, Rational, Reassuring, Suicidal, Trump, Tyrants
The Economist (July 22)
“Despite the frantic political activity in Westminster…the country has made remarkably little progress since the referendum in deciding what form Brexit should take. All versions, however “hard” or “soft”, have drawbacks…. Yet Britain’s leaders have scarcely acknowledged that exit will involve compromises, let alone how damaging they are likely to be. The longer they fail to face up to Brexit’s painful trade-offs, the more brutal will be the eventual reckoning with reality.”
Tags: Brexit, Brutal, Compromises, Drawbacks, Frantic, Hard, Painful, Progress, Reality, Reckoning, Referendum, Soft, Trade-offs, Westminster
New York Times (July 10)
“The new American sanctions on North Korea are hardly surprising, since the regime brutally controls 25 million people, has an aggressive nuclear program and is improving its ability to launch missiles that could one day hit the United States.” Whether the sanctions can “make North Korea budge” remains to be seen.
Tags: Aggressive, Brutal, Launch, Missiles, North Korea, Nuclear program, Regime, Sanctions, U.S.
