Friends and Foes

When Americans assess the nations of the world as favorable and unfavorable as they do domestic politicians, they place English-speaking countries and WWII adversaries, now allies, at the top of the favorability list. The survey, conducted regularly by Gallup, places North Korea and several Middle East and central south Asian nations at the bottom.

North Korea hugging the bottom of the list is not a surprise. The new and untested leader, Kim Jong-un, and his government have fired missiles, tested a nuclear bomb underground, sent a parliamentary leader to Iran to talk “scientific cooperation,” and threatened to attack the U.S. with nuclear weapons and turn South Korea into a “sea of flames.”

And mostly this was just in the last few weeks related to strengthening his leadership position and an effort at distraction while the UN, including China, added even more sanctions on the regime.

So much for hope and change with a young new leader.