The Lonely Dictators Club

Death is a terrible word for a Communist. No matter how rigid the states control of the economy or armed forces is, no matter how much propaganda is released by the states organ and no matter what Karl Marx says, Communists can not stop death. But they can ignore it.

Korean News, released by the Korean Central News Agency of the DPRK has had a busy week reporting on the commemorations to celebrate the ‘demise’ (death or passing hasn’t been mentioned once) of the “Eternal President” Kim Il-sung in 1994.

Japan ruled Korea from 1810 until its defeat in World War II in 1945. Kim Il-sung (“become of the sun“) had been a prominent figure in the fight against Japanese forces after joining guerrilla groups under the Communist Party of China in 1935. These forces suffered heavy losses and in 1940 Kim crossed into the Soviet Union where Korean guerrillas were being retrained and he served out the rest of the war as a captain in the Red Army.

The Soviets installed Kim as the head of the Provisional People’s Committee when he returned to Korea in September 1945. In 1948 South Korea, backed by the US, declared independence and in North Korea the various Communist parties joined together under Kim’s leadership. After open rebellion in parts of South Korea North Korean troops crossed the border in June 1950.

The battle was quite bloody with the North Koreans taking Seoul, Capital of the Republic of Korea, before the US then drove them back and took Pyongyang forcing Kim to flee to China. In October 1950 China entered the war on North Koreas behalf and took back Pyongyang and then Seoul by January of 1951 before the US led UN forces again retook Seoul in March. The front eventually stabilised along the “Armistice Line” of July 1953 and a ceasefire declared. As an official peace treaty was never signed North and South are still technically at war after 58 years!

Kim was restored as leader of North Korea and was a fairly orthodox Communist leader with state owned control of all industry and collectivised agriculture framing the economy. He rejected destalinization and purged those who supported it from the party with executions or exile. Trying to find a balance between full independence from Soviet interference but needing Soviet funds and assistance he wavered back and forth between Russia and China. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the its economic problems which turned off Chinese interest in the region left North Korea almost completely isolated as well as its Ho Chi Minh style attempts at reunification, infiltrating guerrilla units into the South and an attempted assassination on the President of South Korea.

His death on the 8^th of July 1994 saw his son Kim Jong-il, announced as his successor in 1980, take power in the near bankrupt state. Il-sung has not been replaces as President and has been granted the title of Eternal President, sure a benefit of his demise as opposed to death. Dead men can lead countries.

Along with reports in today’s Korean News that Russia is sending a trainload of food to the impoverished nation as “a token of the friendly relations between the peoples of the two countries“, which takes up only two lines, and a piece on a visit to the sight from which “President Kim Il Sung, invincible and iron-willed commander, led the whole party and army and all the people to victory with Juche-oriented military thought, strategies and tactics and rare commanding art” during the Korean War is such titles as “Anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s Demise Commemorated“ and “Distinguished Exploits of Kim Il Sung Praised”. Photo and film shows are being held in the Czech Republic, Thailand (under military rule), lectures in Guinea (check yesterdays blog for Guinea) and Mexico. The photos of course show the “undying exploits and books and photos dealing with the advantages of Korean-style socialism.”

Edmond Jouve who has the eminent title of director-general of the European Society for the Study of the Juche Idea is reported by the Korean News as saying “The exploits the President performed by defeating Japanese imperialism and U.S. imperialism in one generation and firmly protecting the dignity and sovereignty of the country and the nation will be immortal“

This is all happening to the backdrop of a tour of agricultural projects which Kim Jong-il has been attending and while the Unhung Co-op Farm in Thaechon County have “overfulfilled their production plan every year and, at the same time, completed so vast construction project by their own efforts, turning the village into a paradise and a socialist land of bliss in the era of the WPK” most of North Korea (and the above mentioned “socialist land of bliss” as well I’m sure) suffers under large food shortages due to lack of arable land, trade sanctions, and the large investment the state puts in the security services, the army, police etc.

For now North Korea will continue to remain and inward, isolated state under the current ruler. Whether this chances under Jong-ils son, his presumed successor, is unknown. Or perhaps the Eternal President will return to retake office?

With the downturn in the world property market and the collapse of banking stocks across Europe many people are looking for a sure win investment. Oil? Gold? Our research here at the Lonely Dictators Club says missiles are the way to go.

With Russia’s Foreign Ministry reacting to Americas missile defence agreement with the Czech Republic yesterday by declaring “We will be forced to react not with diplomatic, but with military-technical methods” Iran joined in on the party and decided to brighten up the morning sky by test firing 9 long- and medium-range projectiles and threatening to strike American and Israeli interests in the region if it‘s attacked.

In 1979 the Islamic Revolution overthrew the Shah of Iran and saw Ayatollah Khomeini come to power as Supreme Ruler of Iran. In 1989 the Assembly of Elders elected Ayatollah Khamenei to the position after the formers death. While Iran has a President elected by the people the Supreme Leader is recognised as the highest ranking political and religious authority in the country and has overwhelming power in deciding state policy in relation to defence and foreign affairs. Iran most certainly has a very creative form of democracy. The people elect the Assembly of Experts, who elect the Supreme Leader for life but have the power to dismiss him. The Supreme Leader then has full power over the Armed Forces and also appoints the head of the Judiciary who then appoints the head of the Supreme Court and chief public prosecutor. The Supreme Leader can have the President, elected by the people, removed from office if the Supreme Court (which he effectually appoints) says he’s acting counter to the constitution. Of course, the constitution needs to interpreted and who better to do that then a 12 man Guardian Council, 6 of whom are appointed by the Supreme Leader and the other 6 coming from the Parliament. The Guardian Council also has the power to veto parliamentary and presidential candidates and also has the power to determine a candidate’s eligibility to run for a position on the Assembly of Experts. And should the Guardian Council and the Parliament disagree over something then the mater is resolved by the Expediency Council, every member of whom is appointed by… you get the picture.

In recent months the US and the UN have been piling sanctions onto the Islamic Republic in an effort to get it to abandon its enrichment of plutonium. Iran claims this is being done to provide electricity but America claims it’s for nuclear weapons. Well today it’s Iran that has bitten back declaring that if America or Israel attacks it will be able to retaliate. Israel has in the past led air strikes against what it said were nuclear installations within Syria and in the last month has staged exercises with up to 100 aircraft leading to speculation that it might hit Iran. Israel is believed to be the middle-east’s only nuclear power and wants to keep it that way, vowing that Iran will never be allowed to have nuclear weapons.

Amongst the missiles fired today where some Shahab-3s which has a range of up to 2100km putting it in range of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and parts of Egypt. This means that it is well within range of striking Israel or the US fleet in the Persian Gulf.

In only the last few minutes Reuters has reported International Institute for Strategic Studies experts in London as saying the missiles pose little threat and will be little deterrent to Israel should it choose to attack and also that Iran’s stockpile of Shahab-3 missiles is low. So for the aspiring dictator out there long range projectiles are the best long range investment we can suggest. Hold on to them until Iran starts offering big bucks or declare your back garden as a micronation and point it at your local representatives house.

In my first every post I want to say good luck and chin up to Simon Mann. Only 34 years, 3 months and 28 or so days to go until you’re free again. The heavy sentence was handed down on the 7^th of July for his involvement in the plot to overthrow the president of Equatorial Guinea in 2004 with alleged backing from Sir Mark Thatcher, son of the former British Prime Minister. As well as Mann, Nick du Toit has already served 4 of a 34 year sentence and the man who would be president under the new regime, government in exile leader Severo Moto Nsá, was given 63 years when tried in abstensia in 2004.

But while world wide attention has focused on these individuals, especially Mann’s long sentence, and the alleged involvement of British Ministers, few have focused on the man at the other end of the coup.

His Excellency Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo came to power in 1979 after a bloody coup that overthrew the ruling President Francisco Macia Nguema. Macia Nguema’s presidency in the post Spanish Colonial days was brutal and corrupt and after his overthrow on the 3^rd of August he was executed on the 29^th of September 1979 at the notorious Black Beach Prison which will now serve as Mann’s and du Toit’s home for the foreseeable future and was also where President Obiang served for a period as governor. So he’s a sentimentalist.

In 1982 Obiang changed the constitution to give the president overwhelming power and was then elected unopposed for a 7 year term and again in 1989. He has ‘won’ two elections since which have been denounced as fraudulent and Moto has claimed he won some of them. While parties were legalised in 1991 most have withdrawn and Equatorial Guinea is now effectively a single party state under Obiangs Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea with only one member of the 100 seat parliament not belonging to it.

In 2003 one of the countries state owned radio stations, controlled by Obiangs son and presumed heir, broadcast that Obiang was “in permanent contact with the Almighty” (I presume this to be God and not Idi Amin). “He can decide to kill without anyone calling him to account and without going to hell because it is God himself …who gives him this strength”. He is also alleged to be “like God in heaven” and has “all power over men and things” and made comments similar to these himself in 1993. A good man to have on a table quiz I’d say. Many have commented on the fact that he has had audiences with both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican after making these comments but I don’t see what’s so strange about 2 men who’re in permanent contact with God getting together for a chat. Indeed they should set up some kind of a club.

And what is it that finances all this madness? Possibly it was the oil reserves found offshore in 1996 which have made the county the third-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Equatorial Guinea produces 360,000 barrels of oil a day and has the ninth highest GDP in the world. But it’s ranked 121^st out of 177 nations in the UN’s Human Development Index and the population suffers widespread poverty.

But Obiang isn’t all bad. The kind and just man that he is, Obiang told the country in 2003 that to prevent corrupt practices amongst his civil servants he felt compelled to take full control of the national treasury. In a completely unrelated matter he then deposited more then half a billion dollars into accounts he and his family controlled at Riggs Bank in Washington D.C. Like I said, I’m sure it’s unrelated.

For now Obiang has again solidified his control over Equatorial Guinea. The attempted Coup was put down before it was even started and his not too distant neighbour Robert Mugabe is taking all the attention away from him. Indeed it is believed that Simon Mann, who had served 4 years in prison in Zimbabwe after his capture there, was extradited to Equatorial Guinea in return for oil. The escapade still hasn’t came to an end though as attempts are now afoot to extradite Ely Calil, a Lebanese living in England for his involvement in financing the plot according to the Zimbabwe Guardian and Obiang is still hoping to extradite Thatcher.

And while Severo Moto Nsá has been recently charged with illegally possessing weapons in Spain where he is in exile, he’ll desperately fight any attempted extradition. In 2004 on Spanish radio Onda Cero he said that Obiang was an “authentic cannibal” who “systematically eats his political rivals.”

“Obiang wants me to go back to Guinea and eat my testicles. That’s clear.”

Also, Condoleezza Rice has described his as a “good friend”….