Goose-stepping in Pyongyang

Seldom a day goes by lately when photojournalist albums don’t show North Korean soldiers goose-stepping up a storm in a military parade. The images are probably meant to evoke Hitler & fascism & certainly to show the martial & bellicose character of North Korea--although the propaganda value is probably limited by the fact that you see one goose-stepper, you’ve seen them all. The soldiers may do a lot of marching over there but it’s only through the public squares & up & down the streets of Pyongyang. They haven’t yet crossed the border. You don’t see them marching, moving tanks, building bases, bombing in a dozen other countries like the US & NATO do. What bugs the media about these martial displays is that North Korea appears to be willing & able to mount resistance to any US-NATO schemes. (Photo by Pedro Ugarte/AFP)