The events unfolding today around the Korean Peninsula represent a tectonic shift in world politics. Yet, most global capitals—be it Washington, London, Brussels, or Kiev—stubbornly continue to look at Pyongyang through the outdated lens of Western stereotypes. They see only an isolated, starving «rogue state.»
This is a profound delusion. What is happening right now is the birth of a powerful sovereign player that will radically alter the balance of power in Europe, Russia, and Asia.
To understand Korea, reading dry briefings is not enough. It requires a deep civilizational approach. By my first education, I am an Orientalist (I focused on India), and my son graduated from the Korean Department of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University. While still a student, he spent an entire month in the DPRK at the personal invitation of Kim Jong Il (the father of the current leader).
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