[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/16/christianetom.jpg caption caption="Sr. Writer for Amanpour, Tom Evans, works on scripts with Christiane"]
On AMANPOUR today, we look at North Korea. It has the biggest annual defense budget in the world relative to its GDP, with the fifth largest army. For decades, the government’s priority has been to build its arsenal and feed those most loyal to it at the expense of the general population who rely on foreign handouts to avoid starvation. But there are signs that the North Korean “palace economy” may be crumbling with rumors of street protests and a potential succession crisis. Christiane will speak to U.N. Under-Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe, the first high-ranking U.N. official to visit North Korea in six years. She’ll also talk with Tufts University professor Sung-Yoon Lee about what can be done to prepare for the potential collapse of the North Korean regime. North Korea is not the only story in the news today. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
IRAN – Does Iran care about international reaction to its nuclear program?
– Iran has picked almost 20 potential sites for new uranium enrichment plants and could begin planning for two of them this year
– Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Iran does not believe in nuclear weaponry, even though draft IAEA report said Tehran may be trying to build a nuclear warhead
– Western powers trying to drum up support for more international sanctions, and Israel has unveiled a long range drone fleet that has the capability to fly over Iranian territory
QUESTION: Will world powers unite around more sanctions… or will countries such as Israel pursue their own solutions to tackle Iran’s nuclear ambitions?
AFGHANISTAN – Are NATO forces taking sufficient care to avoid civilian casualties as they try to win hearts and minds of Afghan people?
– Officials today said NATO air strike in Daikondi Province in southern Afghanistan on Sunday killed more than two dozen civilians
– NATO acknowledged air strike, saying troops believed vehicles were carrying insurgents. Attack was not in area where U.S., British, Afghan troops are engaged in major offensive against Taliban
– U.S. Commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, who has made reducing civilian casualties a top priority, expresses regret to President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan
QUESTION: Are there additional measures NATO troops can take to prevent civilian casualties in the war while not undermining their military effectiveness?
LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN – Has the Organization of American States (OAS) outlived its usefulness?
– Leaders of more than 30 Latin American and Caribbean nations are meeting in Cancun, Mexico today to launch a new organization based on the previous Rio group that will serve as an alternative to the OAS
– United States and Canada will not be members of the new organization
– Issues on the agenda include coming up with a plan to help Haiti recover from the January earthquake
QUESTION: Is U.S. influence in Latin America waning? And if so, does anyone in Washington care?