Rodman as our ambassador

In one of those completely absurd moments that happen in international politics with isolated nations, Dennis Rodman, with his heavy tats and unpredictable behavior, seems to have become our unofficial ambassador to North Korea.  He is once again going to the country to see his "awesome friend" Kim Jong-un.  Kim, by some accounts a big fan of basketball, wants to continue his discussion of the sport with Rodman.

While a controversial and at times hostile personality, Rodman was a fierce rebound leader in the NBA and is a member of the NBA Hall of Fame.  His visit follows the rejection a few days ago of a visit by a senior American diplomat to discuss the release of a Korean-American missionary who is a prisoner of the regime.

Any evidence of a cosmopolitan understanding of the world by young Kim is missing from this.  We all know the antics of Rodman well, whether smart or the opposite it's hard to tell.

We know all too well of North Korea's nuclear capacity, allowed by the other major totalitarian power in region, the much larger and more prosperous China.  Three quarters of the North Korean population are starving or in horrible prisons, all something that the cynical self serving Chinese are aware of and essentially sanction, but it is unclear if Dennis Rodman has any clue.