To Disarm North Korea, Focus on Human Rights

"When discussing American policy on North Korea, Robert Joseph likes to cite the aphorism that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.

This is the insight at the heart of a recent paper from the National Institute for Public Policy, which calls for a dramatic shift on North Korean policy. It is time to let go of the "false hope that the Kim family regime will relinquish its nuclear weapons through negotiation if only we can find the right mix of carrots and sticks," says Mr. Joseph, lead author of the report and undersecretary of state for arms control and national security in the George W. Bush administration.

Since the 1990s the American goal has been to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. After 30 years of diplomacy under presidents of both parties, Pyongyang's nuclear program is stronger than ever. When negotiations between the two countries began in the 1990s, North Korea's nuclear program was in its infancy. Today Pyongyang has 40 to 60 nuclear weapons, and missile tests indicate that it may be able to deliver nukes to any American city. Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump all followed the same pattern: Negotiate, make concessions, sit back and watch North Korea build more bombs and ballistic missiles.

The paper proposes, instead, putting human rights at the forefront of U.S. policy. The Reagan administration used human rights in the 1980s as part of its strategy to speed the collapse of the Soviet Union -- against the objections of so-called experts who worried it would heighten tensions.

In this case, the objective is the collapse of the Kim family regime from within. The paper calls for an information campaign to educate North Koreans about the realities of life in their homeland: the abysmal human-rights conditions, including prison camps where hundreds of thousands have died; the corruption of the leadership; and the truth about the world outside their borders. Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and one of the report's co-authors, says these "three stories" would drive North Koreans to enact change.

The information-delivery vehicles would be high-tech and human -- easy-to-smuggle micro-SD cards, for example, as well as communication through networks of informers that human-rights groups and others have developed within the country. One of the campaign's first targets would be the five million to six million citizens with government-approved cellphones. A Starlink-like internet, accessible on official cellphones or phones smuggled in from China, is a possibility, Mr. Scarlatoiu says. In a nation where only 1,000 super-elites are believed to have access to the internet, access for ordinary people could be transformational.

North Koreans are hungry for information and are increasingly willing to take risks to obtain it. Some North Koreans already have bits of knowledge of life outside their borders thanks to illegal trade with China as well as information sent home by the tens of thousands of North Koreans who have fled to China or South Korea in the past 30 years.

Dictator Kim Jong Un understands that information control is key to regime survival. North Korea is the most closed country on earth. Borders are sealed. Radio, television and cellphones are tightly regulated. The regime worries especially about the influence of South Korean pop culture on young people, who might conclude that the North's propaganda about the South is a lie. It recently announced that parents who let their children watch K-pop, Hollywood hits and other illicit foreign media even once would be sent to prison camps.

The human-rights-first strategy is not just for the sake of human rights but to achieve a national-security objective, Mr. Joseph stresses. Diplomacy, military policy and economic sanctions would still be important strategic tools. But a course change in U.S. strategy that "facilitates the people of North Korea determining their own future provides the most viable alternative to the failed policies of the past."

Mr. Joseph is sending copies of the report to likely presidential candidates, and he hopes to meet with them in the runup to the 2024 election. His proposed policy change would meet resistance from the bureaucracy and require leadership from the White House. "Fundamental shifts in policy are always difficult to achieve even when the established policy has been proven to fail," he says.

The RAND Corp. projects that North Korea could have as many as 200 nuclear weapons by 2027.

Given Pyongyang's history of sharing and selling technology, it is likely that some of the bombs will end up in the hands of rogue states and terrorists.

On New Year's Eve, Mr. Kim used his annual address to call for an "exponential increase" in the country's nuclear arsenal. In November the dictator introduced his 10-year-old-daughter, his presumed successor, at the launch site of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile. The message was that the Kim dynasty is strong and here to stay.

The goal of U.S. policy on North Korea should be complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. The National Institute for Public Policy paper offers a path for getting there. Refinements are needed, but unlike the failed diplomacy of the past three decades, it doesn't meet anyone's definition of insanity.

---

Ms. Kirkpatrick, a former deputy editorial page editor of the Journal, is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute." [1]

1.  To Disarm North Korea, Focus on Human Rights
Kirkpatrick, Melanie.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 06 Mar 2023: A.17.

Kaip padėti atleistam draugui

„Nors darbo rinka iš esmės išlieka sveika, „LinkedIn“ peržiūra rodo, kad kai kuriuose sektoriuose atleidimai turi įtakos.

 

     Remiantis Layoffs.fyi, pastaraisiais mėnesiais daugiau, nei 250 000, technologijų darbuotojų neteko darbo, kai kurie darbuotojų mažinimai išplito ir kitose ekonomikos srityse, taip kad net tokios  bendrovės, kaip Dow Inc., Walt Disney Co. ir 3M Co., paskelbė apie mažinimus.

 

     Čia yra karjeros trenerių ir žmonių, patyrusių atleidimą, patarimai, kaip padėti draugui ar bendradarbiui, kurio darbas buvo nutrauktas.

 

     Pagalvok praktiškai

 

     Kai Brianas Andersonas, vyresnysis debesų techninės paskyros vadovas San Antonijuje, pamatė „LinkedIn“ įrašą iš bendradarbio, kuris buvo atleistas ir ieškojo naujų galimybių, jis norėjo pasiūlyti daugiau, nei užuojautą. Jis pakomentavo jos įrašą ir pažymėjo du įdarbintojus, su kuriais anksčiau dirbo, ir rekomendavo jiems susisiekti.

 

     Pasak jo, 46 metų M. Andersonas buvo atleistas iš darbo 2000-ųjų pradžioje, jam labai padėjo žmonės, sujungę jį su kontaktais, kurie padėjo ieškoti darbo. Vienu atveju kontaktas, kuriam jis buvo pristatytas, nukreipė jį pas kažką kitą, ir tas asmuo galėjo padėti jam užimti naują vaidmenį.

 

     „Galimybė suteikti jai kontaktų ir išplėsti jos tinklą bus labai svarbi, kad ji užimtų kitas pareigas“, – sako ponas Andersonas. – Tai buvo skirta man.

 

     Pasiekti

 

     Žmonės, kurie buvo atleisti iš darbo, greičiausiai, patiria įvairių emocijų – nuo pykčio iki liūdesio iki baimės. Nors šios situacijos gali būti nepatogios ar sudėtingos, karjeros konsultantai teigia, kad buvę kolegos ir darbo draugai neturėtų vengti atleistų žmonių.

 

     Buvę kolegos dažnai jaučia išgyvenusiųjų kaltės jausmą dėl to, kad buvo išgelbėti nuo pjūvių ar bejėgiškumo, todėl dažnai išnyksta arba nieko nesako. Tačiau susisiekimas, net ir nedidelis, gali turėti įtakos.

 

     Davidas Lancefieldas, Londone dirbantis vykdomasis treneris, rekomenduoja pradėti nuo el. laiško, kuriame klausiama, kada tinkamas laikas pasikalbėti. Būkite empatiški ir aiškiai nurodykite savo ketinimą padėti.

 

     „Pradžios taškas būtų pasakyti: „Žiūrėk, aš išgirdau naujienas. Norėjau susisiekti su tavimi, kaip su geru draugu“, – sako jis.

 

     Suteikite asmeniui laiko atsakyti, kai jis bus pasirengęs, ir atminkite, kad jam gali prireikti laiko vienam, kad jis galėtų apgalvoti jo darbo praradimą.

 

     Ką pasakyti

 

     Kai jau galite kalbėti, o ne klausti bendro „Kaip sekasi?“ paklauskite, kaip galite geriausiai palaikyti asmenį, sako ponas Lancefieldas.

 

     Pokalbio ar tolesnių el. laiškų metu venkite tokių frazių, kaip „Bet kuriai įmonei pasisektų tave turėti“ arba „Žinau, kad greitai ką nors rasite“. Jie gali atrodyti atmestinai dėl to, ką žmogus išgyvena, sako ponas Lancefieldas.

 

     Užduokite klausimus, kad išsiaiškintumėte jų karjeros tikslus, nesvarbu, ar jie nori likti jų srityje, ar išbandyti ką nors kita, sako ponas Lancefieldas. Ši informacija gali padėti jums tinkamais būdais, pavyzdžiui, siųsti konkrečias darbo galimybes arba dalytis informacija apie mokymą ar įgūdžių ugdymą.

 

     Pasinaudokite jų pagalba

 

     Kai kurios pagrindinės taisyklės, jei pristatote žmones savo tinkle. Pirmiausia įsitikinkite, kad kontaktas, su kuriuo norite supažindinti jūsų kolegą, yra atviras tokiam prisistatymui ir nėra užkluptas netikėtai.

 

     Gera mintis paklausti buvusių kolegų, kaip jie nori būti pristatyti, sako Diane Darling, knygos apie tinklų kūrimą autorė, skaitė paskaitas Harvardo verslo mokykloje ir didelėse įmonėse. Pavyzdžiui, ar jie nori, kad išnaudotumėte jų valdymo patirtį, ar pabrėžtumėte jų techninį sumanumą?

 

     Gali būti naudinga paprašyti asmens atsiųsti trumpą aprašymą, kurį būtų galima panaudoti įvadiniame el. laiške. Taip pat galite pasiūlyti rašyti rekomendacijas arba paskelbti jas „LinkedIn“, pabrėždami, koks žmogus yra darbštus, ir pateikdami konkrečius didelių laimėjimų ir atkaklumo pavyzdžius“, – sako M. Darling ir priduria, kad tokios internetinės rekomendacijos yra tikrai naudingos.

 

     Taip pat svarbu, anot jos, žinoti, kada atsitraukti.

 

     „Jei tai gana artimi santykiai, aš su jais susisieksiu gana dažnai“, - sako ji. "Galiu jiems pasakyti: "Aš noriu su jumis pabendrauti. Jei tai jus trikdo, praneškite man."" [1]

 

1. How to Help a Laid-Off Friend
Smith, Ray A.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 06 Mar 2023: A.12.

How to Help a Laid-Off Friend

"Though the job market remains largely healthy, a spin through LinkedIn shows that layoffs are having an effect in some sectors.

More than 250,000 tech workers have lost jobs in recent months, according to Layoffs.fyi, and some staff reductions have spread to other parts of the economy, with companies including Dow Inc., Walt Disney Co. and 3M Co. announcing cuts.

Here are tips from career coaches and people who have been through a layoff on how to show up for a friend or co-worker whose job has been cut.

Think practically

When Brian Anderson, a senior cloud technical account manager in San Antonio, saw a LinkedIn post from a co-worker who was laid off and looking for new opportunities, he wanted to offer more than sympathy. He commented on her post and tagged two recruiters he had worked with in the past, recommending that they connect.

Mr. Anderson, 46 years old, was laid off from a job in the early 2000s, and was greatly helped by people who connected him to contacts who aided his job search, he said. In one case, a contact he was introduced to referred him to somebody else, and that person was able to help him land a new role.

"Being able to give her some contacts and expand her network is going to be crucial to her getting whatever the next position is," Mr. Anderson says. "It was for me."

Reach out

People who have been laid off are likely experiencing a range of emotions, from anger to sadness to fear. Though these situations can be awkward or fraught, career advisers say former colleagues and work friends shouldn't avoid people who have been laid off.

Former colleagues often feel some sense of survivor's guilt at being spared in a round of cuts, or helplessness, so they frequently go dark or say nothing. Yet getting in touch, even in a small way, can have an impact.

David Lancefield, a London-based executive coach, recommends beginning with an email asking when is a good time to talk. Be empathetic and make clear your intent to help.

"The starting point would be to say, 'Look, I heard the news. I wanted to reach out to you as a good friend,'" he says.

Give the person time to respond when he or she is ready, and remember that person might need alone time to process their job loss.

What to say

Once you can talk, rather than asking a generic "How are you?" ask how you can best support the person, Mr. Lancefield says.

During your conversation or follow-up emails, avoid phrases such as "Any company would be lucky to have you" or "I know you'll find something soon." They can come off as dismissive about what the person is going through, Mr. Lancefield says.

Ask questions to suss out their career goals, whether they want to stay in their field or try something different, Mr. Lancefield says. Those details can allow you to help in relevant ways, such as sending specific job opportunities their way or sharing information about training or skills building.

Enlist their help

Some ground rules if you're offering introductions to people in your network. First, make sure the contact you want to introduce your colleague to is open to such an introduction and not caught off guard.

It is a good idea to ask former colleagues how they want to be introduced, says Diane Darling, author of a book on networking who has lectured at Harvard Business School and major companies. For example, do they want you to play up their management experience, or highlight their technical acumen?

It can be helpful to ask the person to send over a short description to use in the introductory email. You can also offer to write recommendations or post them on LinkedIn, touting what a hard worker the person is, and citing specific examples of big wins and tenacity, says Ms. Darling, adding that she believes such online recommendations are truly useful.

Also important, she says, is knowing when to butt out.

"I'll check in with them pretty frequently if it's a relatively close relationship," she says. "I may say to them, 'I want to check in on you. If that bugs you, let me know.'"" [1]

1. How to Help a Laid-Off Friend
Smith, Ray A.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 06 Mar 2023: A.12.