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Regime Changes May Lead To Dangerous New Year

On The Radar

Big changes in 2011 — from the Arab Spring to the death of North Korea's dictator — create opportunities for 2012. But change can be scary, even when the regimes to be replaced are unpopular or repressive, because there's never a guarantee the new regime will be better.
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Even Despots Don't Live Forever

On The Radar

It was a bad year for the villains of the world. Three of the biggest bad guys met their ends: Osama bin Laden, killed by U.S. commandos who stormed his villa in Pakistan in May; Moammar Kadafi, killed by Libyan insurgents who captured him (with the help of a NATO airstrike) in October; and Kim Jong Il, the ruler of North Korea, who died Dec. 17, reportedly of a heart attack.
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PBS NewsHour: Could U.S. 'Start Fresh' With North Korea's New Leader?

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Mourners in North Korea said goodbye to Kim Jong-il Wednesday. The funeral procession, led by Kim's designated successor, signified the end of an era for an isolated nation. Gwen Ifill discusses how the leadership change could affect U.S. policy with Donald Gregg of The Korea Society and Georgetown University's Balbina Hwang.

North Korea's Nuclear Program

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After the death this week of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, we look back at the development of North Korea's nuclear program over the decade as reported on Washington Week. In 2003, North Korea confirmed its nuclear capability. Then in 2006, reports of that nation's first nuclear weapons test and the reaction from the international community.

North Korea Faces 2nd Leadership Change In 60 Years

On The Radar

Intelligence analysts are scrambling to assess North Korea's designated leader Kim Jong Un, of whom very little is known. He is untested, and North Korea watchers wonder whether he will be challenged by the military or others in the leadership elite. Similar questions were raised about his father when he took over following the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994.

Carney Says U.S. Has ‘No New Concerns’ About Korean Weapons

On The Radar

The U.S. has “no new concerns” about North Korea’s nuclear arsenal following the death of dictator Kim Jong Il, White House press secretary Jay Carney said. The U.S. is monitoring the situation in North Korea and has consulted with allies South Korea and Japan as well as China and Russia, the other members of the six-party talks on getting North Korea to shed its nuclear weapons, Carney said at a briefing.
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