Authoritarian Propaganda

**RepressiveDuck** · 02-11-13, 03:23 AM

One of the funny things about being a political scientist that studies countries with relatively little state capacity is finding little nuggets of their propaganda. North Korea has one of the most creative propaganda cadres out there. If I get a chance, I will scan a North Korean children's book and post it here.

A few weeks ago, the People Communist Party of Korea's polit bureau started airing this video which shows scenes from Call of Duty MW3 to show that Manhattan is under attack and that the US is currently at civil war because we like to murder. It then shows clips of NK ballistic missile tests describing them as "peaceful advancements to mankind."

http://kotaku.com/5981720/north-kore...rre-propaganda

Like every piece of propaganda it contains nationalism, a montage, and crappy American music.

Duck

**RepressiveDuck** · 02-11-13, 03:35 AM

Also, like most propaganda clips in authoritarian states; videos like this tend to hint at a major policy objective nearing completion. Foreign Policy chatter seems to suggest a test of a NK ballistic missile with warhead attached. To date no one except US, FRA, UK, IND, PAK, RUS, and CHN has tested a warhead and a carrying package together. The only question is, where exactly do they plan to detonate the missile (most likely in the Pacific) but who will they target to be an audience to the explosion?

Duck

**MaFioSo** · 02-12-13, 12:42 AM

In related news: North Korea appears to conduct 3rd nuclear test, officials and experts say - CNN.com

However I think they are far from being a "force to be reckoned with".

**Kanati** · 02-12-13, 08:41 AM

I highly doubt that they will test an icbm with payload. If they even THREATEN to put one in the air and we deem it credible they will be staring down a really big gun pointed straight at Pyongyang.

**deathgodusmc** · 02-12-13, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by Kanati8869

I highly doubt that they will test an icbm with payload. If they even THREATEN to put one in the air and we deem it credible they will be staring down a really big gun pointed straight at Pyongyang.

If some of our old presidents were in office maybe but with obama not a chance.

**Cojiro** · 02-12-13, 03:47 PM

obama would just try to hug the north koreans to death. on account of him being such a softy and all.

i feel like NK is that guy at a party thats funny to watch but soon enough hes gonna start swingin a gun around and ruin the party for everyone.

**deathgodusmc** · 02-12-13, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by Cojiro

obama would just try to hug the north koreans to death. on account of him being such a softy and all.

i feel like NK is that guy at a party thats funny to watch but soon enough hes gonna start swingin a gun around and ruin the party for everyone.

Yeah its hard to say with the son. His father was a lot of talk and we almost went in a few times. I dont know if its obama is a softy or scared to put his name to a bill sending in troops.

**Kanati** · 02-13-13, 08:16 AM

We should all be scared of sending troops into north korea for multiple reasons.

They have a huge standing army. Between standing army and reserves they have nearly 10 million bodies.

Any invasion of NK will invariably bring response from China which has around 3 million standing army personnel. Of citizens fit for service (16-49) they have over 600 MILLION they can draw from.

Between those two things... if things started going badly for NK, they have the ability to launch baby nukes evidently and I highly doubt they would care if they did so on their own soil. Their ability to launch a missile to hit the US is probably akin to Wile E Coyote catching the road runner, but their big brother China could do so without much trouble.

Yeah... I'd try to hug them a bit before I broke down and attacked as well. That country is the powder keg and Kim Jong Crazy over there has a defective zippo he and his father have been trying to light for years. One of these days it might just go off.

**triggerhappy2005** · 02-13-13, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by deathgodusmc

If some of our old presidents were in office maybe but with obama not a chance.

Bush didn't do anything either.

**triggerhappy2005** · 02-13-13, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by Kanati8869

We should all be scared of sending troops into north korea for multiple reasons.

They have a huge standing army. Between standing army and reserves they have nearly 10 million bodies.

Any invasion of NK will invariably bring response from China which has around 3 million standing army personnel. Of citizens fit for service (16-49) they have over 600 MILLION they can draw from.

Between those two things... if things started going badly for NK, they have the ability to launch baby nukes evidently and I highly doubt they would care if they did so on their own soil. Their ability to launch a missile to hit the US is probably akin to Wile E Coyote catching the road runner, but their big brother China could do so without much trouble.

Yeah... I'd try to hug them a bit before I broke down and attacked as well. That country is the powder keg and Kim Jong Crazy over there has a defective zippo he and his father have been trying to light for years. One of these days it might just go off.

China would never attack.