James Lileks on Berlin. Understand America? You can’t understand the world without understanding the history of New York. It’s not the only city one should study, of course. I mean, there’s Berlin. (“And on this site in 1932, chalk-faced Communists premiered a musical devoted to exposing the horrors of the international rubber trade.) I’ll resist the overpowering temptation to add anything other than the fact that I don’t agree with his major premise about New York. Lileks isn’t God, but...

Uri Crack-up-date: The most delicious irony is that one of the factions aspires to be a “balancer” within the Uri Party itself. And yes, Chung Dong-Young is leading one of the factions.

The Washington Post reports: Beset by U.S. attempts to isolate his country and facing popular expectations of change, Syrian President Bashar Assad will move to begin legalizing political parties, purge the ruling Baath Party, sponsor free municipal elections in 2007 and formally endorse a market economy, according to officials, diplomats and analysts. . . . . Emboldened opposition leaders, many of whom openly support pressure by the United States even if they mistrust its intentions, said the measures were the...

The Joongang Ilbo is reporting a rumor, still unconfirmed, that Kim Jong Il is inviting Condi Rice to Pyongyang for a visit. If it’s true, feel free to speculate that the Dear Leader is scared and ready to crack–for now. A “bilateral” meeting with a senior U.S. official would give him a face-saving way to do it. His real goal? To buy time, hopefully another three and a half years. If the Bush Administration sticks to the “verifiable” and “irreversible”...

What has happened in Uzbekistan now clearly appears to have been a massacre of hundreds, committed by a government with which the United States has a military alliance. How the Bush Administration responds to this moral challenge will determine whether the usual suspects who accuse the United States of hypocrisy in its calls for global democratization will gain a useful talking point for their recruitment drives. I’m not immune to the demands of realpolitik, and I swallowed my discomfort over...

Blogwatch: D.J. McGuige of China-e-Lobby has some fascinating stuff this week. D.J. is a fire-eater. The man spoke at the North Korea Freedom Week rally at the Chinese embassy, and I honestly thought that at the end of his speech, they were going to start passing out torches and pitchforks.

Little Joshua’s illness started to crowd out my blogging time when I first noticed this link (HT: The Marmot). It’s just too good not to reproduce some choice, succulent portions. Aside from having a solid grasp of what the regional players are thinking, Mac Johnson writes so well he gives me acute writer’s envy: In its latest major accomplishment as an industrial power, North Korea has dug a really big hole. Usually such a hole would be filled with the...

This morning, the sun rose, flowers opened, the earth rotated, and South Korea offered North Korea yet more money to do something its fertile and depraved minds had not even thought of scant months ago. Then, it publicly pretended that there was nothing to worry about in any event. In other news, waves continue to lap against the shore and glaciers are still crawling downhill. And the day after the U.S. warned North Korea not to test a bomb (or...

Blogwatch: D.J. McGuige of China-e-Lobby has some fascinating stuff this week. D.J. is a fire-eater. The man spoke at the North Korea Freedom Week rally at the Chinese embassy, and I honestly thought that at the end of his speech, they were going to start passing out torches and pitchforks.

Little Joshua’s illness started to crowd out my blogging time when I first noticed this link (HT: The Marmot). It’s just too good not to reproduce some choice, succulent portions. Aside from having a solid grasp of what the regional players are thinking, Mac Johnson writes so well he gives me acute writer’s envy: In its latest major accomplishment as an industrial power, North Korea has dug a really big hole. Usually such a hole would be filled with the...

Little Joshua’s illness started to crowd out my blogging time when I first noticed this link (HT: The Marmot). It’s just too good not to reproduce some choice, succulent portions. Aside from having a solid grasp of what the regional players are thinking, Mac Johnson writes so well he gives me acute writer’s envy: In its latest major accomplishment as an industrial power, North Korea has dug a really big hole. Usually such a hole would be filled with the...

This morning, the sun rose, flowers opened, the earth rotated, and South Korea offered North Korea yet more money to do something its fertile and depraved minds had not even thought of scant months ago. Then, it publicly pretended that there was nothing to worry about in any event. In other news, waves continue to lap against the shore and glaciers are still crawling downhill. And the day after the U.S. warned North Korea not to test a bomb (or...

My Son Is Sick, and that has to take top priority until it’s behind us. Hopefully it won’t be more than a day or so. I should have much more to say then. Thanks for your patience and good wishes.

My Son Is Sick, and that has to take top priority until it’s behind us. Hopefully it won’t be more than a day or so. I should have much more to say then. Thanks for your patience and good wishes.

Thanks again to reader Brendan Brown and his North Korean refugee students in Seoul, who have agreed to a second group interview to share their opinions about their homeland and give us a rare–albeit unscientific–glimpse into the perspective of ordinary North Koreans. Undoubtedly, it took great courage for them to discuss matters that could put them or their families at risk. For their protection, I have redacted details that could identify them. Brendan is an Australian national who teaches English...

Thanks again to reader Brendan Brown and his North Korean refugee students in Seoul, who have agreed to a second group interview to share their opinions about their homeland and give us a rare–albeit unscientific–glimpse into the perspective of ordinary North Koreans. Undoubtedly, it took great courage for them to discuss matters that could put them or their families at risk. For their protection, I have redacted details that could identify them. Brendan is an Australian national who teaches English...

Another Must-Read: Michael Yon, who is living with an American fighting unit in Iraq, has a fascinating, gut-wrenching blog about the fight against the terrorists. One click and you’ll have no justification to doubt my use of the ‘t’ word. By far the best Iraq blog I’ve seen so far, with many superb pictures–the top one is Pulitzer material–and video. Minutemen, anyone?

Another Must-Read: Michael Yon, who is living with an American fighting unit in Iraq, has a fascinating, gut-wrenching blog about the fight against the terrorists. One click and you’ll have no justification to doubt my use of the ‘t’ word. By far the best Iraq blog I’ve seen so far, with many superb pictures–the top one is Pulitzer material–and video. Minutemen, anyone?