How Killing His Uncle Could Leave Kim Jong Un Weaker
In the days following the Dec. 12 execution of Jang Song Thaek, North Korea's erstwhile No. 2 and Kim Jong Un's uncle by marriage, state media reportedly scrubbed its online archives, erasing thousands of articles that mentioned Jang. Accused of crimes including failure to clap with sufficient enthusiasm when Kim was honored with an important title, Jang was also edited out of official video footage.
But it will be harder for Kim to erase his uncle's legacy than his image. Jang, 67, had accumulated decades of experience and cultivated deep networks, particularly in China, where he traveled on several official visits and backed a joint development project near the Chinese city of Dandong. In the ultraconservative corridors of North Korean power, that made him something of a liberal. It's unclear whether Kim, who pledged to establish special economic zones, will fully adopt Jang's push for further opening of North Korea's tightly controlled economy.
The biggest question, though, is whether Kim will emerge from this weaker or stronger. Killing off an uncle sent a message to any would-be foes. But it also showed that Kim's court is riven by intrigues. "If Kim wields his axe too indiscriminately to consolidate his grip on power, he could be paving the way for his own demise," wrote Kang Chol-hwan, a North Korean defector, in the Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean daily. A family whose cohesion has helped it stay in power has rarely exhibited such division.
INDIA
'It is despicable and barbaric.'
Shivshankar Menon, Indian National Security Adviser (right), speaking to the Press Trust of India news agency on Dec. 17 after Devyani Khobragade, India's deputy consul general in New York City, was arrested, strip-searched by a female officer and jailed before posting bail. Khobragade is accused of submitting false documents to obtain a work visa for her housekeeper; as the row escalated, India condemned her treatment and removed barricades outside the U.S. embassy in New Delhi reportedly in retaliation.
DATA
THE EARNING INDEX
Gallup surveyed at least 2,000 people in each of 131 nations from 2006 to 2012 to gauge national median household incomes. The global average is $9,733. A sampling:
$52,493
Luxembourg
$43,585
U.S.
$32,360
Singapore
$24,633
Bahrain
$11,239
Venezuela
$781
Liberia
The Four Biggest Challenges Facing
Chile's Returning President
Michelle Bachelet won a landslide election Dec. 15 by promising to bring about the kind of radical change she couldn't during her first run in office, from 2006 to 2010. Among her challenges:
* UNIFYING HER BLOC
Starting in March, the moderate Socialist will lead a seven-party leftist coalition, ranging from Communists to Christian Democrats to leaders of the 2011 student protests. Getting the parties to agree on issues like legalizing gay marriage and relaxing strict abortion laws--both of which are on her agenda--won't be easy.
* COURTING HER OPPONENTS