BBC News:
Cognac and iPod ban for N Korea
Kim Jong-Il and North Korean generals
Kim Jong-Il is said to enjoy luxuries and share them with the elite
The US has banned exports of iPods, fine wines and fast cars to North Korea as part of the punishment for the country's nuclear bomb test last year.
Is it me, or is it pointless idiocy? Like banning Cuban archaeologists from attending a conference in Puerto Rico, or banning scientific visits to Cuba shorter (or longer?) than two weeks, disrupting research on the culture of Taino Indians.
To me, it is of the peace with applying special interrogation techniques to Jose Padilla for three years. Forget morality, what was the point? The guy was probably crazy after one year, of not after one month, dependent on the diligence of the idiots in charge.
One thing is certain. Any conspiracy theory starting with the argument they had to have XXX in mind, it does not make sense otherwise has to be abandoned immediately. It is like figuring long-range rationale behind placing thumbtacks on a teachers chair.