Towheed Feroze

THE latest and perhaps the most intriguing piece of news in the world of politics has been the visit of the New York Philharmonic to North Korea. As the show by the group from the United States, the recognised adversary and critique of North Korea, was aired on the national television of the isolated country, it was evident that behind the inflammatory rhetoric and the obstinate stances, steps were being taken to ease tensions. It was surprising to see the BBC reporting from Pyongyang, an unprecedented scene. If we are to believe that all broadcasts from North Korea is screened meticulously, then, even by that standard, what the BBC reported has to be called pretty independent and unbiased. The reporter had no qualms in stating that there was very little visible commerce and the number of vehicles on the roads was limited. Apparently, that may not seem too much, but for political analysts that is about enough to form an idea about the present state of things.

However, if most of us had formed a very dissipated and deprived picture of social life in North Korea, the scene of a family in Pyongyang sitting at home and watching the unfolding of the philharmonic diplomacy must have helped us change our views. Contrary to the common perceptions of a society deprived of any luxuries, we actually saw a family in a comfortable apartment watching the performance, not on a cheap and dated television set, but on a huge home theatre. Propaganda? Well, we are hardly in a position to decide.

As soon as the New York Philharmonic left North Korea, a new and a rather interesting bit of news filtered through to the international media. Reportedly, there is a request for a visit by none other than Eric Clapton, the blues god. There is more: it’s found that Kim Jong-Chol, the son and possibly the successor to the nation’s present leader, Kim Jong-il, is an avid fan of Clapton’s music. It increasingly appears that music might be able to do what diplomatic wrangling has not managed to do over the years. At this moment there is no certainty if Clapton will accept the invitation. Still, if the west really wants the ice to break, the rock star may be influenced to undertaker the tour for a greater purpose: peace in the Korean peninsula.

Then again, is peace so easy to achieve when officially the two Koreas are still at war? Of course, in reality the conflict ended through an armistice, but there has never been an official end to the war. On top of that, even if the North agrees to supply the much-demanded list of nuclear facilities to the US and agrees to sit for talks of unification with the South, there is always the matter of the presence of US soldiers in the latter. US sources claim that if relations between North Korea and the US become normal then there would not be any opposition to the presence of US troops but this has been categorically denied by the North. The common rationale for the presence of US troops is that they would be able to provide a balance to potential threats from China and Japan. However, common sense states that if relations between the two Koreas become friendly then their united military force would be eminently capable of warding off any foreign threats. Or is there a lingering threat that at some point the North would want to overtake the South and re-establish a non-pliable authoritarian rule?

Since President George W Bush termed the North a part of an ‘Axis of Evil’ and an ‘Outpost of Tyranny’ back in 2002, the two Koreas have pledged, on October 4, 2007, to hold summit talks to officially declare the war over and reaffirmed the principle of mutual non-aggression. On March 17, 2007, North Korea told delegates at an international nuclear meet that it would begin shutting down preparations for its main nuclear facility. This was later confirmed on July 14, 2007 as the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors observed the initial shutdown phases of the currently operating 5MW Yongbyon nuclear reactor. In return, North Korea has received 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil shipped from South Korea.

It seems quite clear that North Korea needs more economic concessions and supplies form other countries and, just recently, the US has managed to persuade China to talk to North Korea regarding the submission of a complete list of nuclear facilities. Of course, China has a valid reason to work with the US because befriending the latter guarantees a huge market for the ever-booming Chinese industry. From toys to food – made in China is on everything and if China wants to stabilise her position as a global power, she needs a wider market and no restrictions. Already she is striving hard to put the controversy over the use of poisonous paint on toys exported to the west behind her because that proved to be a blow to the reliability of Chinese goods. Interestingly, it is all about economy and if North Korea did not lose her backing due to the disintegration of Soviet Union then things probably would have been different. Today, North Korea is repeatedly projected as a nation plagued by malnutrition, hunger and lack of facilities and that negative image is due to a series of famines that struck the country in the 1990s.

Be that as it may, being isolated always creates problems and North Korea cannot afford to be in the cold forever. The possibility of removing North Korea from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism has been discussed, which imposes a ban on all arms related trade with countries on the list, along with withholding US aid. If these bans are lifted, the US, too, may help the North Koreans. However, at this moment with the NY Philharmonic leaving Pyongyang on a positive tone, there are hopes of better times ahead.

Cultural diplomacy is not only aimed at the government but also at the common people and it’s about time the North reciprocated by sending a troupe of gymnasts or sportspeople to the US. As there is always a fear over the development of nuclear weapons by states that have a long history of disregarding the west, it must also be kept in mind that one should not advocate something which one does not practice. Maybe, the US should slash more nuclear weapons to encourage others. The head of the International Atomic Energy has recently made such a proposal.

As for the request for Eric Clapton, well, in the cold and often lifeless spheres of diplomacy this may seem too frivolous but it is small things that often achieve great objectives. To go back in history, during World War I, soldiers from both sides fighting the deadly trench warfare laid down their weapons to celebrate Christmas together and if that spirit had not been denounced and forbidden by war-loving politicians, we would not have had so many deaths. At this moment sending Clapton may sound trivial but if it gets the work done then that’s what the west has to do; it seems like the North Koreans are ready to dance to the beat of ‘Layla’.