Bush bans Kim Jong Il from buying PS3s and iPods

Ah, America. Land of political WTF-ery. In one of the strangest foreign policy moves ever done during the Bush administration , the US government is trying to impose trade sanctions against North Korea, specifically against items that Kim Jong Il likes or which are gifted to him by loyalists.

What does the North Korean leader like, aside from platform shoes and bling-bling? Why, tech stuff and other assorted luxuries, of course. The Associated Press report says that, in addition to any new tech, such as iPods, PS3s and the like, they also want to ban just about everything else, even sports equipment (Kim compensates for his short stature with a love for basketball, apparently).

The AP article cites a lot of other items among those to be placed under trade sanctions:

But the list of proposed luxury sanctions, obtained by The Associated Press, aims to make Kim’s swanky life harder: No more cognac, Rolex watches, cigarettes, artwork, expensive cars, Harley Davidson motorcycles or even personal watercraft, such as Jet Skis.

Now, let’s get some perspective on this. The man makes secret nuclear tests in his country and the people under his rule suffer from food shortages. That’s a result of rather selfish decisions on Kim’s part, as well as a lack of foreign aid because no one really likes him for messing with nukes right now.

The plan, as “creative” as some of the supporters of the trade sanctions might think of it, would only push North Korea’s world leader to use more money to purchase the same things through the black markets (or eBay). If the leader of nuclear-capable nation wants a PS3, why would you try a stunt like this to get him to listen to you?

Robert J. Einhorn, a former senior State Department official who once went to Korea, said of the plan, “It can’t hurt, but whether it works, we don’t know.” Trust a gamer to tell you this plain and simple: if PS3 fanboys are willing to wait out in the cold for days to get a PS3, and grey market sellers don’t mind shooting people for those goods, you are wrong in assuming it can’t hurt.

Ah, America. Land of political WTF-ery. In one of the strangest foreign policy moves ever done during the Bush administration , the US government is trying to impose trade sanctions against North Korea, specifically against items that Kim Jong Il likes or which are gifted to him by loyalists.

What does the North Korean leader like, aside from platform shoes and bling-bling? Why, tech stuff and other assorted luxuries, of course. The Associated Press report says that, in addition to any new tech, such as iPods, PS3s and the like, they also want to ban just about everything else, even sports equipment (Kim compensates for his short stature with a love for basketball, apparently).

The AP article cites a lot of other items among those to be placed under trade sanctions:

But the list of proposed luxury sanctions, obtained by The Associated Press, aims to make Kim’s swanky life harder: No more cognac, Rolex watches, cigarettes, artwork, expensive cars, Harley Davidson motorcycles or even personal watercraft, such as Jet Skis.

Now, let’s get some perspective on this. The man makes secret nuclear tests in his country and the people under his rule suffer from food shortages. That’s a result of rather selfish decisions on Kim’s part, as well as a lack of foreign aid because no one really likes him for messing with nukes right now.

The plan, as “creative” as some of the supporters of the trade sanctions might think of it, would only push North Korea’s world leader to use more money to purchase the same things through the black markets (or eBay). If the leader of nuclear-capable nation wants a PS3, why would you try a stunt like this to get him to listen to you?

Robert J. Einhorn, a former senior State Department official who once went to Korea, said of the plan, “It can’t hurt, but whether it works, we don’t know.” Trust a gamer to tell you this plain and simple: if PS3 fanboys are willing to wait out in the cold for days to get a PS3, and grey market sellers don’t mind shooting people for those goods, you are wrong in assuming it can’t hurt.