The Foreign Service Journal, April 2015

14 April 2015 | the foreign Service journal SITE OF THE MONTH: North Korea International Documentation Project T he North Korea International Documenta- tion Project, created by the Woodrow Wilson Center in partnership with the University of North Korean Studies in South Korea, gives both scholars and policymakers a fas- cinating window into North Korean history and politics. The project collects and shares newly declassified documents on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and its past and present allies from the United States, South Korea and North Korea itself, organizing them into an extensive online database. The documents are well curated and gathered into smaller collections by topic, such as “Conversations with Kim Il Sung,”“Inter-Korean Dialogue in the 1970s,”“North Korea’s First Five-Year Plan” and “Nuclear History.” Each collection has from 50 to 300 documents, which include records of conversations, minutes of congressional meet- ings and journal entries from key players in North Korean political and social life. Its “Modern Korean History” portal has a detailed interactive historical timeline with links to relevant documents for easy browsing. NKIDP is run by Wilson Center scholar Charles K. Armstrong, a professor of history at Columbia University. In addition to the archive, the project publishes a series of working papers analyzing recently acquired materials and bulletins providing information and news on the DPRK and its leadership. All materials are posted online and are fully downloadable. By all accounts, the project fulfills its objective: to remedy the distinct lack of information available on North Korea, which contributors to the project consider the main obstacle to sound American policy-making today. —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern CA receives many calls from Ameri- cans of all ages who have been caught up in international Internet dating scams. Many scam artists pose as American citi- zens living abroad for business or mili- tary service so as not to arouse suspicion. As CA put it, they “don’t all claim to be Nigerian princes. Many come from Canada, Indonesia and other places you might not associate with online fraud.” Tips for spotting an Internet scammer include: 1. Watch out for your partner moving conversations quickly from the dating site to personal email or instant messaging, and discussing personal or emotional details very soon after first contact. 2. Beware of heart-rending stories of sick family members or personal trag- edies that can only be fixed with a wire transfer. 3. If your Internet darling sounds too good to be true—“Ivy League–educated, looks like a swimsuit model, and is really rich, awaiting an inheritance that will come through… any… day… now!”—he or she probably is. —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern Ukrainian Legislator Speaks in D.C. O n Feb. 13, Mustafa Nayyem, newly- elected Ukrainian Member of Parliament and winner of the 2014 Ion Ratiu Democracy Award, gave a talk at The George Washington University on the state of Ukrainian politics and national identity. Nayyem was one of the journalists responsible for facilitating the transition from online to outdoor protest against the Ukrainian government in November 2013, sparking the Euromaidan Revolu- tion. He has been investigating govern- ment corruption for more than 10 years with various Ukrainian news outlets, and in 2014 he and 14 colleagues established Hromadske TV, an online station promot- Mustafa Nayyem at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Kyiv, July 6, 2011. Wiki Commons