avinash.godbole

Thus it appears as if after pulling out a credible Iran deal, one which has enough checks and balances as well as involvement of other like-minded countries, The US President   Donald Trump gave away a lot in Singapore in return little verifiable in return from Kim. It appears as if North Korea, a de-facto nuclear power, is the bigger winner out of the Singapore summit. Donald Trump did have his moment of unilateral glory in Singapore but if Japan and South Korea came out on top, then they would have more reasons to worry. Moreover, China’s headaches would rise were they to act on those worries. Until the Singapore summit, Donald Trump and Kim Jong un had fairly same reasons for direct talks. For Trump it was his desire to stamp the American supremacy. He sought to show China its place, after years of engagement policy by Obama by first completely discrediting the Six Party talks which were not only China-initiated but also China-led. He used social media on one...

Soccer and North Korea’s Moment in the Spotlight “ T heir style of playing”, said the great Maradona, “is unattractive but pretty useful in the end” while talking about the soccer style of the North Korean team. Of course, no one expected any graceful or memorable performance from the team that crashed out of the first round from the ongoing World Cup by the margin of 1:12 goals. The DPRK team lacked stars, experience, supporters, sponsors. Moreover, news reports seem to suggest that the small bunch of fans supporting the North Korean team were in fact Chinese and were paid for playing the Vuvuzela in support of North Korea. Even then, on the field the team showed that it belonged at the highest level even in their unceremonious exit. The margin of defeat and the goal difference only exemplifies their lack of exposure, which in turn calls for more engagement with North Korean sports. It is hoped and believed that engaging Korean sports would open the window to the secretly guarded Nor...