Dennis Rodman is a reputed Basketball player who used to play for the NBA and Kim Jong-un loves the game. Dennis has visited North Korea on a number of occasions and basketball was always on the menu. He is scheduled to visit the country once again and is expected to arrive late on Tuesday.
The purpose of Rodman’s visit
Sky New reports that his visit coincides with high tensions in the region, coupled with repeated tests of missiles by North Korea because Kim Jong-un is determined to develop a nuclear-tipped missile that can strike the U.S. mainland.
There is speculation that he wants to wipe the United States off the face of the Earth for reasons best known to him.
Dennis Rodman is a sportsman and had always justified his visits and the interaction that he has with Kim. In an interview to a section of the media way back in 2014, he expressed a hope that his visits would help the reclusive state to return to normalcy. He also described the leader as a friend for life.
During that visit, he went with a team of retired American players to participate in a basketball game with North Koreans. It was to celebrate the special occasion of Kim Jong-un's birthday. Dennis even sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the leader. Unfortunately, his team lost the game to the home side.
Incidentally, at that time, there were some Americans lodged in the prisons of North Korea who were being held on varied charges.
Will basketball diplomacy help?
The adamant attitude of Kim Jong-un has become a major worry for leaders of the world because the country has embarked on a dangerous mission by developing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
North Korea has stated that they want to strike the United States. The UN has slapped the country with sanctions in the hope that they would act as a deterrent. That has not had any apparent effect.
Donald Trump wanted China to get involved in the efforts to put a check on the ambitions of North Korea. Trump wanted Xi Jinping to restrict trade with the country but that has also not had any appreciable impact on Kim Jong-un.
He merely keeps announcing improvements about the performance of his missiles.
It is possible that Dennis Rodman could play a vital role. He could be a mediator and impress upon his friend the need and importance to move away from an attitude of aggression. Dennis Rodman is believed to be a person who is in a position to influence the decisions of Kim Jong-un. INobody knows whether his visit is the result of some think tank or whether it was his own decision to drop in on Kim to pay a courtesy visit. Whatever be the reason, if basketball diplomacy helps the cause, why not give it a try?
