Kim Jong-un

In this June 12, 2018, file photo, US President Donald Trump, right, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, in Singapore. 

Political theater: Part II

Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive this week into all the ways in which diplomacy is a kind of performance.

Political theater: Part II
Kim Jong-un and his generals cheer after the apparent launch of the Hwasong-17 long-range missile in March

Exclusive: North Korea’s monster fake out

Exclusive: North Korea’s monster fake out
Three people are shown from behind looking at a television that has a large missile with smoke and fire from its launch.

Rival Koreas test missiles hours apart, raising tensions

Rival Koreas test missiles hours apart, raising tensions
Lieutenant-General Bacha Debele is show standing at a podium with his hand raised in soft focus with a guard in military fatigues is shown in focus and holding a large rifle.

A 'sick joke': Tigrayan forces reject ceasefire in Ethiopia’s embattled region

A 'sick joke': Tigrayan forces reject ceasefire in Ethiopia’s embattled region
Three long lines are shown with hundreds of people standing and waiting.

Hundreds of vaccinated healthcare workers in Indonesia get COVID

Hundreds of vaccinated healthcare workers in Indonesia get COVID
Young man in blue shirt lifts a piece of concrete as other men sift through rubble after an airstrike

Prospects of a ceasefire offer hope to ending violence between Israel and Hamas

Top of the World: Officials close to the negotiations between Israel and Hamas say a ceasefire could be announced in the next 24 hours as hostilities continue. And South Korean President Moon Jae-in is on a four-day visit to Washington, hoping to revive stalled talks with North Korea. Also, Russia assumes the chairmanship of the eight-nation Arctic Council bloc, as the US tries to oppose Moscow’s plans to set maritime rules.

Prospects of a ceasefire offer hope to ending violence between Israel and Hamas
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at the ruling party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this Jan. 8, 2021, photo provided by the North Korean government. 

In crisis, North Korea is turning further inward

Poor and isolated in the best of times, North Korea is now even more cut off from the world. 

In crisis, North Korea is turning further inward
A crowd of people are shown walking across the London Bridge, many wearing face masks.

Europe on edge over new surges; North Korea's new missile; Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire in question

Health authorities in Europe are bracing for new surges of the coronavirus, this time with concerns over “pandemic fatigue” as a growing number of regions return to lockdown restrictions. And, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un unveiled several new weapons including a large intercontinental ballistic missile carried on an 11-axle vehicle; Also Armenia and Azerbaijan were again accusing each other of attacks over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region despite a ceasefire deal.

Europe on edge over new surges; North Korea's new missile; Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire in question
A group of police officers are shown carrying large weapons and wearing face masks while walking down the middle of a street.

Anti-terrorism police investigating knife attack in Paris

In Paris, near the former office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, at least two people were stabbed Friday, with one suffering serious injuries. And, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has apologized for the killing of a South Korean government worker who was shot and burned after crossing into the North just off the shore. Also, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a cyber truce between Moscow and Washington.

Anti-terrorism police investigating knife attack in Paris
A large group of men are shown sitting in a street with cardboard cutouts of President Donald Trump and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lay on the ground in front of them with shoes placed.

Israel and UAE cut diplomatic deal; Despite flooding North Korea refuses aid; Spain tightens coronavirus restrictions

Israel and the United Arab Emirates look set to establish full normalization of relations. And, despite weeks of heavy rains and flooding that destroyed thousands of homes and buildings and even threatened a nuclear reactor, North Korea has rejected aid from the international community. Also, Spain has decided to shut nightclubs and ban outdoor smoking in an attempt to tamp down a resurgence of cases of the coronavirus in Western Europe.

Israel and UAE cut diplomatic deal; Despite flooding North Korea refuses aid; Spain tightens coronavirus restrictions
Former US national security advisor John Bolton is shown wearing a stripped suit and red tie and adjusting his glasses.

Trump asked China to help him win in 2020, offered 'favors to dictators,' Bolton says

In a withering behind-the-scenes portrayal, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton accused him of sweeping misdeeds that included explicitly seeking Chinese President Xi Jinping's help to win re-election.

Trump asked China to help him win in 2020, offered 'favors to dictators,' Bolton says
Two soldiers dressed in military fatigues and carrying weapons are shown decending a staircase from a guard tower.

North Korea destroys liaison office on border with South in 'terrific explosion'

North Korea blew up an office set up to foster better ties with South Korea on Tuesday in a "terrific explosion" after it threatened to take action if North Korean defectors went ahead with a campaign to send propaganda leaflets into the North.

North Korea destroys liaison office on border with South in 'terrific explosion'
A grainy photograph showing smoke rising in the distance from a destroyed building.

North Korea destroyed the liaison office with the South; Beijing imposed coronavirus restrictions; France backs away from chokehold ban

In a dramatic escalation of tensions, North Korea blew up the liaison office used to improve relations with South Korea on Tuesday. And, in a move to stop a flare-up of new coronavirus cases, Beijing has imposed restrictions on public transport and banned high-risk people, such as those in close contact with others who have tested positive for COVID-19, from leaving the city. Also, three Indian soldiers were killed today in a confrontation with Chinese troops in the disputed border region of Kashmir.

North Korea destroyed the liaison office with the South; Beijing imposed coronavirus restrictions; France backs away from chokehold ban
Kim Yo-jong is shown looking over her left shoulder

North Korea stops answering daily calls with South; Past epidemics underscore importance of mental health

North Korean officials did not answer a routine daily call to the liaison office with South Korea or calls on military hotlines Tuesday. The move is seen as a first step toward shutting down contact with Seoul. And, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he and US President Donald Trump agreed on "some issues" on the conflict in Libya during a phone call Monday. Also, a new study of satellite images shows a surge in traffic to hospitals in Wuhan, China, in August.

North Korea stops answering daily calls with South; Past epidemics underscore importance of mental health
A South Korean soldier walks past a TV broadcasting a news report

North Korea's nuclear test could be leverage for upcoming talks

Just hours after announcing it would restart nuclear talks with the US, North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile Wednesday. 

North Korea's nuclear test could be leverage for upcoming talks