What to make of Russian President Vladimir Putin's short stay in North Korea this week, where he greeted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un like a long lost brother and left Pyongyang with what the Russian leader termed a comprehensive strategic partnership?
The commentary thus far borders on the surreal. Victor Cha, a former National Security Council Asia policy director currently with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote that the summit "presents the greatest threat to U.S. national security since the Korean War." Others have suggested the confab was a direct assault on the integrity of the international order.
I view it less dramatically. In essence, this week's meeting between Kim and Putin was the culmination of a series of geopolitical circumstances that have brought the two together. Whether their bromance lasts over the long-term is still to be determined.
By simply looking at the footage run by North Korea's state-run propaganda outlet, you can't be blamed for concluding that Moscow and Pyongyang are now the best of friends. Kim pulled out all the stops for his important Russian guest. He met Putin at the airport at roughly 3:00 in the morning, warmingly hugging the Russian leader after he de-boarded. The two drove together through the wide thoroughfares of the North Korean capital, where Putin's face was strategically placed on street-lamps. During a gala concert, Putin received a loud, standing ovation from the people in attendance.........