Neither, IMO. From observing him over the years, he knows what's good for him, and he knows how to get a good vibe going with others at the same time. The vibe can make anything true or false and is not known for being concerned with moral true/false questions, which get into subjective (qualitative) ethics. (You can argue that those same ethics prevent reasonably helpful business from being done in many cases, as distasteful as it sounds.)
I'd add that he has a good nose for opportunity and a higher than average threshold for risk. This is your typical "fixer" type.
This guy, on the hand, has voluntarily chosen to be an apologist and enabler for one of the most oppressive regimes on the planet.
Does North Korea have any competition for this title? I thought they were number one on that list.
Libya cancelled its nuclear program in the early 21st century and welcomed UN inspections. Then an international alliance force removed Gaddafi from power and he was killed.
I am sure would-be-dictators all over the world are taking note - if you have nukes, you don't face invasion.
That said what keeps the west from invading NKorea aren’t the nukes. It’s the katyusha and other conventional armament that would rain down on Seoul a few Kms across the border.
This just made me think of Baghdad Bob so I looked him up and apparently he is still alive and allegedly living in the UAE. It would be interesting to hear what he thinks now of all the obvious lies he told almost two decades ago.
“If only I was in America, then with my talents I would have had an awesome career in law, politics, or business.”
Most Americans don’t bat an eye that they pay taxes to fund this. As long as it’s in our interest we turn a blind eye. As long as it’s someone else we look down on them.
Not a DPRK apologist. But I wouldn't really say "obvious" with respect to anything coming out of there... Just two weeks ago rumors ran rampant that the leader was dead... We just have no clue.
There have been pictures, even cellphone video of things like public executions. Here's one recent report but people have been escaping the place and bringing evidence of abuse out for years.
https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-north-korea-public-execu...
Interesting article. I often wonder about the mindset of people who deny the obvious facts. Does he really believe it or is he just cynical?