Foreign Policy 2015-03-04

SIGHTLINES

FOREIGNPOLICY.COM 19

aperture

Syncretism is common in India; Malaika converted from Hinduism to Christianity about a year ago, but she continues to perform certain rituals of her old religion. Here, standing next to one of her neighbor’s daughters, she adjusts her sari before going to temple to perform her daily puja.

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SIGHTLINES

At a festival, Malaika honors Shiva, one of the most important deities in the Hindu faith.

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TheHistorical

Re-enactor

KimSiddorn

1 2 3 4

Padded	Dice box	Viking knife	Sword
arming cap	and dice	This blade is	It’s tied into the
This has its own	A friend made the	1,000 years old.	scabbard so that
ventail, which is	box for me out	It was found in	by the time a man
the chain mail	of cow bone. The	the Thames by a	unties the sword,
to protect the neck	dice are made out	re-enactor who	he will have had
from blows. You	of whale bone. It’s	uses a metal detec-	time to consider
pull it on, tie the	good to have things	tor to find buried	whether he wants
straps over your	to take out of your	artifacts. I use it as	to whack someone
beard, then jam a	pocket and wave at	a general-purpose	with it. I use this
helmet on top. I use	the crowd. Vikings	knife for cutting	sword for show at
this to add padding	certainly would	string or meat,	every meet, but I
when I’m wearing	have used the dice	as the Vikings	don’t fight with it.
a helmet that’s a	to gamble.	would have.	It’s too sharp.
little large.

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	the things they carried		SIGHTLINES
	interviewandphotographsby SPIKE JOHNSON
	5	6	THIS AUGUST, onthe750thanniversaryofthe
			Battle of Evesham, a few hundred people
			willassembleintheEnglishcountrysideto
			restagethebloodyfightthatcostSimonde
			Montfort—the rebel earl of Leicester who
			established the first English parliament—
			his life. Bearing swords, they’ll take the
			sides of the Second Barons’ War: de Mont-
			fort’sforcesversusthoseofKingHenryIII.
			Directing this drama will be Kim Siddorn,
			the 73-year-old organizer of Regia Anglo-
	8		rum,ahistoricalre-enactmentgroupfocus-
			ing on the lives of people who populated
			the British Isles between the eighth and
			13thcenturies.
			Founded in 1986, Regia Anglorum—
			Latin for “Kingdoms of the English”—
			gathers monthly for what it calls “meets.”
			Clad in period dress, members practice
			embroidery, play dice games, and cook
			meat over open fires. All are also invited
			to participate in each meet’s centerpiece:
			a carefully orchestrated mock battle.
	7		ThegoalistokeepfadingBritishhistory
	9		alive. Siddorn, who retired from a motor-
			cycle shop in the late 1980s to run Regia
			Anglorum,sayshisinterests“waxwiththe
			sackingofRomein410A.D.…andwanewith
			theBattleofSenlacRidge,October14,1066.”
			Heoftenspendshisdaysscouringwebsites
			andtradeshowsforhistoricallyaccurategear,
			someofwhichhekeepsinhissmallBristol
	10		home: longbows dangle above stairs, can-

nonballsfunctionaspaperweights,shields areproppedagainstdoors.(Hehasloaned somepropstoGameofThrones.)

FOREIGN POLICY recently had tea with Siddornathishousetolearnhowhesuits up for battle.

5

Winter hat

This is made of sealskin. It’s just used for warmth, but it’s a little scratchy. I wear this for winter reenactments or for times when I’m not wearing a helmet.

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Viking coins

These are replica coins, but you couldn’t tell the difference. The replicas are pewter, and the originals are made of silver. I have some original coins, but I don’t play with them at meets; they’re too valuable.

7 8

Turn shoes	Chain-mail shirt
These are authen-	This is an authen-
tic to anyone liv-	tic Viking design.
ing in the Dark	Every ring is pro-
Ages. You make the	duced separately:
shoes inside out,	punched, then
then turn them the	a wedge-shaped
right way—hence	rivet is made, and
the name. I’ve worn	that rivet is driven
these for 15 years,	through the hole,
in battle and in	against an anvil. I
parades. I’ve had to	bought this from a
have them resoled	third-party trader
three times.	about four years
	ago for 450 quid.

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Helmet

This was made for an exhibition at the National Geographic Society in 2011. I just use this helmet for a parade costume. I was given it about a year ago as a gift, when the exhibition closed.

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Brooch and ring cover

I made these. The brooch, which is gold-plated silver, holds my shirt together at the neck, and the ring is to cover my wedding ring.

Vikings didn’t wear wedding rings.

FOREIGNPOLICY.COM 23

visual statement

byRAYMOND BIESINGER

“Tome,theterm ‘energysuperpower’ isalittleoptimistic; thatis,arelianceonoil alternatelyenhances andhandcu sa nation.WithRussia today,I’mleftto wonderhowPutinand Co.arerelatingtotheir ownmassive,oily assets—particularlyas theireconomysu ers undertheweightof saggingenergy pricesandsanctions leviedoverthecrisis inUkraine.

ShouldVladimir Putinsupportthe rebelsineastern Ukrainetoomuch, Russiawillfinditself overstretched:The countryhaslarger concernsthanfueling upthearmyand spendingpolitical capitalonminor adventures.Onthe otherhand,pushtoo little,andRussians mightwonderwhy theirleaderisafailure atbothmanagingthe economyand defendingtherights ofRussiansabroad. Ukraine,Ithink,

canlookforwardto astable,awful stalemateinitseast untiloilprices recover.Afterthat, allbetsareo .

Icareaboutthis situation’sfacts,asfar astheycanbeknown. YetIhavenowayto a ectPutin’smoment, noritawaytoa ect me.Ireadsuch circumstancesasif theywereHamlet, studyingthemin hopesofunderstandinghowpeoplemake decisionsindi erent situations.Here,Putin islookingoverhis shoulderatRussia’s massiveoilinfrastructure,sanctions,and economicdecline,and makinguphismind aboutwhattodo

inUkraine—which heholdsinoneof hishands.”

THE ARTIST

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SIGHTLINES

FOREIGNPOLICY.COM 25

the exchange

IstheHermit Kingdomtruly malevolent— orsimply misunderstood?

In2011,Korean-AmericanjournalistSUKI KIM spentsix monthsundercoverasateacheratanelite,all-male Pyongyangschoolforscienceandtechnology—her fifthvisittoNorthKorea—whereshecollectedstories forhermemoir,WithoutYou,ThereIsNoUs.Former NewMexicoGov.BILL RICHARDSON hasvisitedthecountry eighttimes:firstasacongressmanin1994,todiscuss anucleararmsdeal,andmostrecentlyin2013,asa privatecitizenwithGoogleChairmanEricSchmidt. KimandRichardsonrecentlyconnectedtoswaptravel tales,debateNorthKoreandiplomacyandlanguage— and,ofcourse,discussTheInterview.

SUKI KIM

BILL RICHARDSON: InmynegotiatingwiththeNorthKoreans,theyalwaysweresendingthefollowingmessages: One, they’re a very proud, strong country. Nobody controls them. They want to be considered on par as amajorpowerwiththeUnitedStates.Numbertwo,It was very clear that they had a total devotion to their leaders, the structure of the party, the military—they wereparamountinanyoftheirdiscussions.Theynever madeadecisiononthespot.Innegotiatingwiththem, theirideaofaconcessionwasnotaquidproquo,like in Western countries. Their idea of a concession was they’renotgoingtobudge,butwhattheywillbudgeon istheywillgiveyouenoughtimetocometotheirconclusion,eventually.Timeforthemisnotoftheessence. SUKI KIM: I was teaching the sons of the elite, who are 20-year-oldyoungmen,whoaregoingtobethefuture leaders.AndwhenyousaytheNorthKoreannegotia-

BILL RICHARDSON torsnever,everdeterfromtheirscript,theseboysdidn’t either. Yet, there was a disconnect. They always sing aboutkillingAmericans.Iaskedthem,“Whenyousing those songs, where do I fit in? I’m South Korean and American.”Theywerealmostlaughing.Theycansee thehumorinit.Irememberthemawkwardlysmiling and saying, “Oh, you’re di erent from that, because

you’re our teacher.” You were also talking about the absoluteness of power, which I totally relate to. Everything was number one: They are Number One Hospital, NumberOneDistrict.Everystudenthada number.Thehierarchywassolabeledwith eachexistence;they’reallsoldiers.Itisan incredibly vigilant way to live.

BR: FortheNorthKoreans,I’vefoundeverything is very personal. I remember being there at a time when President [George W.]BushcalledKimJongIlatyrantinone of his memoirs. The North Koreans were very insulted. They saw that as personal. [Recently]theyfeltthatTheInterviewwasan attackonthedeity,ontheirheartandsoul. The North Korean government is rallying thepeopleandsaying,“SeehowtheAmericanshavedepictedourleader,withalotof disrespect.Thisiswhyyouhavetocontinue listening to us and why we should fear the outsideworld.”ButIrecallvividlybeingin North Korea with Eric Schmidt of Google, andwewentin,anditwasveryobviousthat onlyaverysmallpercentageofNorthKoreans, the elite, had access to the Internet. They weren’t about to expand it, because theyknewiftheydidthat,itwouldpossibly fuelanArabSpringreaction.SK: Absolutely. My students didn’t know the existence of theInternet.Itaughtataschoolforscience andtechnologycomputermajors.Theyhad noideawhattheInternetwas.It’snotpossibletoopenthatworlduptotheInternet, becausethenthatwouldbreakthemythof thegreatleader.

RICHARDSON: ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES; KIM: ED KASHI

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SIGHTLINES

BR: Inthepast,theNorthKoreansdidn’tcareaboutany international organization or the criticism. But in the lastyeartheyhavebecomesensitive,inreactiontothe UnitedNations’e ortstoreferthemtotheInternational CriminalCourtonhumanrightsviolations.Theywere hit very hard by this U.N. report [that accused North Koreaofcrimesagainsthumanityandrecommended prosecution of the country’s leaders] and are starting to react, possibly in a positive way. I foresee them allowing some access by some U.N. inspectors. They don’twanttheirleadershipreferredthereforpossible war crimes.SK: The fact that North Korea is seriously nervousaboutallofthat—ultimatelythatisonegood thing, no? Because nothing will make them do anything.BR: I do believe they’re nervous, and I believe they’re trying to weigh their response. Another issue is that I think North Korea gets very bad publicity.SK: Someofthereasonforthat—andIthinkactuallyoneof

BR: IntermsofAmericanpolicy,I’vealways felt that it’s better to have a dialogue with yourenemiesthannot.Thatdoesn’tmean when you talk you’re giving up anything, butthere’ssomuchmutualmistrust.Admittedly, North Korea’s very di cult. But I do believe there’s potential grounds of compromisebecausetheyneedfood,theyneed humanitarianassistance.Theywanttechnology; they want investments; they want sanctions lifted. Their people are starving. Their agriculture is totally unmecha-

“THERESTOFTHEWORLDREALLYRELATES

TO AMERICANS AS HUMAN BEINGS, AS REAL PEOPLE .... BUT I DON’T THINK WE FEEL THAT WAY AT ALL WITH NORTH KOREA.”

theshockingthingswhenI’minNorthKorea,because IgrewupinSouthKoreaandI’mfluentinKorean—is howviolenteventhelanguageis,andcrudeandcrass. Allcursewords.Backtobacktoback.Whentheycalled the [South] Korean president a prostitute, that’s not reallyanaccidentbecausetherestoftheirlanguageis like that. It’s almost like linguistic violence. Because ofthat,violencepervadestheirentirecultureinsome way. Bad publicity also gives them a one-track image, asifthey’renothumanbeingsandtherearenohuman emotions within that country. I would think the only thingIcandoistodescribethatworldsothatwehave someempathyforthecountrybeyondlookingatitas this one-dimensional cartoon, which is how it’s coming across now. The rest of the world really relates to Americansashumanbeings,asrealpeople,becauseof allthepublicitywe’vegenerated,whetherit’sthrough moviesorwhatever.ButIdon’tthinkwefeelthatway atallwithNorthKorea.“WhoisKimJong?”Wehaveno idea.NowwehaveaportraitfromthemovieTheInterview.Butwehavenoideaaboutthatworld.

nized.SK: Soweshouldjustkeepengaging? BR: That’smyview.Ithinkyouhavetotalk to them and bring South Korea in. I think reunificationofthepeninsulaisawayso , butmaybetheyshouldstarttalking.Nobody saidthetwoGermanyscouldcometogether, buttheydid.SK: Ididreallylovemystudents somuch,andIfeltthedegreeunderwhich they were controlled, and their humanity wascompletelysuppressedbeyondbelief.I actuallydidnotfeelanyhope.Yousay,yes, wehavetokeepengaging,butweengageat whatexpense?BecauseIjustdidn’tseeany lightattheendofthetunnel,andthesewere theelite.Idon’tknowhowweengagewitha regimethatdoesthattoitspeople,because theydon’tbehaveanyotherway. Θ

Thisconversationhasbeencondensedfor publication. Go to FOREIGNPOLICY.com for the extended version.

FOREIGNPOLICY.COM 27

Asia’sBrideMarket

On its website, J&N Viet-Bride Match-making Agencies promises “single,divorcedorwidow[ed]”men thatitwillhelpthem“findtheirright/ suitable lifetime wife” with “the shortest time & hassle.” Alongside picturesofsmilingcouples,theSin- gapore-basedbusinesspitchesitself as a one-stop shop for prospective grooms looking for love outside the small island nation—specifically, a fewhundredmilesawayinVietnam.

J&N, which, among other services,arrangestravelitineraries,first dates, and language classes so that new couples can communicate, is part of a growing trend: Across East Asia, a booming demand for brides is pushing (and sometimes forcing) women from poor countries— manyoftheminSoutheastAsia—to wealthierones.Altogether,morethan halfamillionwomenhavemigrated to East Asia to wed since the early 2000s. In South Korea, as just one example,thepercentageofmenmarrying noncitizens jumped from 1.6 percentin 1993to 8percentin2013.

While international marriages have become a thriving industry in Asia, a dark underbelly also exists: Humantra ckingplaysaroleinthis migration,whichhasledsomecountries to enact restrictions on marriage brokering. Yet some women travel on their own terms, choosing towedacrossbordersforamoresta- blelife,forlong-termcitizenship,or, yes, for love.

decoder

byJAKE SCOBEY-THAL

1 ALL THE SINGLE LADIES

The demand for foreign brides is particularly prevalent across affluent parts of East Asia: South Korea, Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan, for instance. As economists Daiji Kawaguchi and Soohyung Lee outlined in their 2012 paper, “Brides for Sale: CrossBorder Marriages and Female Immigration,” men look abroad because a growing number of

women in their home countries are delaying marriage or even opting out altogether. As women become more educated and financially independent, many are electing to forgo what remain highly

patriarchal partnerships. According to Kawaguchi and Lee, a college-

educated woman in developed East 1 Asia is 50 to 200 percent more

likely to remain single than a lesseducated counterpart.

2 NO COUNTRY FOR ELIGIBLE MEN

China is one of the nerve centers of the foreign-bride market because of its distended gender gap. The country reported that 116 boys were born for every 100 girls in 2014. This disparity is largely a consequence of a decades-old fertility policy: Most Chinese families are restricted to having only one

child, and in a culture where 2 men are prized, the availability

of sex-selecting technologies— namely abortion—has fueled one of the world’s most unbalanced birth ratios. In 2020, there will be an estimated 30 million more Chinese men of marrying age than women in the same group.

3MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER

A network of professional marriage brokers keeps the bride market buzzing. In some cases, these intermediaries organize male and female recruits—often attracted through “mail-order” websites—to meet collectively in prospective brides’ home

countries. The young singles go on a series of group dates, eventually pair off, and, within a few days, apply for marriage licenses. In other cases, the process is less structured, with family, friends, or informal matchmakers coordinating connections abroad.

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Illustration by JAMESON SIMPSON