KIM JONG-IL

North Korea's "Dear Leader" has died, plunging the region into uncertainty. The uncertainty comes from a combination of two things. First, North Korea is one of the most closed countries in the world. Even in this internet age, we know almost nothing about what goes on there, which is remarkable in itself.

Secondly, the little information that does come out of North Korea is often fantastical, if not outright barmy. When I lived in Tanzania, the local North Korean Embassy would, on the occasion of Kim Jong-Il's birthday, take out double page adverts in the local papers, extolling his almost superhuman virtues. It was like reading a Marvel comic.

The Dear Leader's third and youngest son, Kim Jong-Un, has apparently been groomed to take over as the third generation Kim in charge (though, like all else, we don't really know). However, the man is in his twenties, and looks more like a cuddly teddy bear than the leader of a Communist Party. So even if he is officially leader, there will be other powers behind the throne.

Walter Blotscher