Kim Jong Un to Meet with Putin While China Throws Shade on 9/11 Anniversary

The autocratic East is sending a strong message to the democratic West: sanctions don’t work and they don’t care to play by the hypocritical Western playbook any longer.

Event: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a potential arms deal and military cooperation where North Korea would supply Russia with artillery ammunition said to be compatible with Russian weapons. The Biden administration issued a stern warning that North Korea would “pay a price” for providing arms to Russia that would be used in its war against Ukraine. Top security advisers proclaimed that a move by Noth Korea to support Russia with munitions would not reflect well on North Korea in the eyes of the international community.

Mundane Perspective: The most likely “price” to be paid by North Korea under a liber Biden administration is more sanctions or stronger enforcement of sanctions already in place. Unfortunately, sanctions have not yielded a track record of success with North Korea, as they have either emboldened Kim, had gross human costs, proven to be a futile pursuit, or simply been evaded over time. The U.S. can hope for a sanctions strategy that hurts the bank of strategic partners; however, China’s support of Russia and North Korea provide a way to evade any U.S. aggression short of physical violence.

China may have inadvertently invited and welcomes sanctions escalation from Washington through its mocking of the U.S. remembrance of the September 11 attacks. “China’s national English newspaper,” The Global Times, posted a number of what would be known as tweets sharing commentary to amplify the comic satire of another X account, Valiant Panda:

Washington has warned China against supporting Russia in its war with Ukraine, and though China has raised concerns over Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, the country has continued to keep Russia afloat with oil and natural gas purchases.

Furthermore, Americans still support helping Ukraine regain all its territory, even with the prospect of a prolonged war. However, concerns with the economy, healthcare, immigration, abortion, and other issues more close to home are taking priority and causing overall support for Ukraine to dwindle. If the U.S. moves to impose sanctions that would ultimately harm North Korean citizens, then America runs the risk of creating a crisis where Americans identify with the plight of North Koreans suffering under uncaring governments and global economies that leave the average person to fail, suffer, and die. While no commitments have been made between North Korea and Russia, the United States runs the risk of creating more problems than it can handle if it has to follow through with bringing the pain.

Esoteric Perspective: "Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law." — The Kybalion.

This instance is a moment when the world waits for Russia and North Korea to come together as a cause to yield and effect, leading to the effect being the United States acting as a cause. The Western-led world order has been a chaotic cause around the world yielding detrimental effects to all humanity, particularly with legacy of colonialism. As developing nations bad together to operate as effective, collective causes, the international community should be prepared to deal with the effects, and all sectors will be challenged to participate and promote global human security.

What this means for you:

• Public sector and government: Eastern autocratic states are aligned on shared interests and unlikely to waver or back down from their advancement in economic development or strategic real estate aims. It’s time to go beyond the numbers in your strategic risk analysis.

• Private sector: Your business deals and alliances are no longer exempt from geopolitical influence. If anything, your organizations and key personnel are likely to become targets. It’s time to integrate geopolitical risk into your strategic planning sessions and business strategies.  

• Non-profit sector: Your organizations will likely be caught in the cross hairs, whether you will be challenged to find consistent funding for operations or discover more conflict zones to operate in. More geopolitical shifts and tensions mean more work for your organizations.

What to do about it:

• Public sector and government: Get out of your comfort zone and accept that times and power dynamics are changing. One of your key research questions need to be whether or not the international system is effective as it is and what measures need to be taken to preserve the current system through enhancement and integration of varying worldviews.

• Private sector: Reevaluate your SWOT analyses and risk strategies. Incorporate geopolitical risk analysis into every part of your strategic and competitive analysis planning. Global instability affects the markets, which affects you. Plan your investments and growth strategies around being a positive cause in a chaotic world rather than an effect or casualty of geopolitical instability.

• Non-profit sector: Go beyond the outputs and focus on outcomes. Your numbers need to reflect how many problems you have solved through the people you have helped. How many refugees have you housed and help find work? How did you incorporate geopolitical risk analysis into your organization to be proactive about potential crises? Do you monitor the markets and strategize funding around impending market shifts and political crises? How is your organization being proactive in serving the public? The more people you successfully serve, the more money you will command!

Need specifics on how to achieve elevation and change in your individual walk or for a unique organization? Book your consultation and let’s get the ball rolling!

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