:root {–wt-primary-color: #2D2DC8;–wt-text-on-primary-color: #FFFFFF;–wt-secondary-color: #F9FAFB;–wt-text-on-secondary-color: #030712;–wt-tertiary-color: #FFFFFF;–wt-text-on-tertiary-color: #222222;–wt-background-color: #FFFFFF;–wt-text-on-background-color: #222222;–wt-subscribe-background-color: #FFFFFF;–wt-text-on-subscribe-background-color: #222222;–wt-header-font: “Roboto”, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto,”Helvetica Neue”, Arial, “Noto Sans”, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”, “Noto Color Emoji”;–wt-body-font: “Roboto”, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, “Helvetica Neue”, Arial, “Noto Sans”, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”, “Noto Color Emoji”;–wt-button-font: “Roboto”, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, “Helvetica Neue”, Arial, “Noto Sans”, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”, “Noto Color Emoji”;–wt-border-radius: 8px}.bg-wt-primary { background-color: var(–wt-primary-color); }.text-wt-primary { color: var(–wt-primary-color); }.border-wt-primary { border-color: var(–wt-primary-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-primary { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-primary-color); }.text-wt-text-on-primary { color: var(–wt-text-on-primary-color); }.border-wt-text-on-primary { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-primary-color); }.bg-wt-secondary { background-color: var(–wt-secondary-color); }.text-wt-secondary { color: var(–wt-secondary-color); }.border-wt-secondary { border-color: var(–wt-secondary-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-secondary { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-secondary-color); }.text-wt-text-on-secondary { color: var(–wt-text-on-secondary-color); }.border-wt-text-on-secondary { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-secondary-color); }.bg-wt-tertiary { background-color: var(–wt-tertiary-color); }.text-wt-tertiary { color: var(–wt-tertiary-color); }.border-wt-tertiary { border-color: var(–wt-tertiary-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-tertiary { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-tertiary-color); }.text-wt-text-on-tertiary { color: var(–wt-text-on-tertiary-color); }.border-wt-text-on-tertiary { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-tertiary-color); }.bg-wt-background { background-color: var(–wt-background-color); }.text-wt-background { color: var(–wt-background-color); }.border-wt-background { border-color: var(–wt-background-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-background { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-background-color); }.text-wt-text-on-background { color: var(–wt-text-on-background-color); }.border-wt-text-on-background { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-background-color); }.bg-wt-subscribe-background { background-color: var(–wt-subscribe-background-color); }.text-wt-subscribe-background { color: var(–wt-subscribe-background-color); }.border-wt-subscribe-background { border-color: var(–wt-subscribe-background-color); }.bg-wt-text-on-subscribe-background { background-color: var(–wt-text-on-subscribe-background-color); }.text-wt-text-on-subscribe-background { color: var(–wt-text-on-subscribe-background-color); }.border-wt-text-on-subscribe-background { border-color: var(–wt-text-on-subscribe-background-color); }.rounded-wt { border-radius: var(–wt-border-radius); }.wt-header-font { font-family: var(–wt-header-font); }.wt-body-font { font-family: var(–wt-body-font); }.wt-button-font { font-family: var(–wt-button-font); }input:focus { –tw-ring-color: transparent !important; }li a { word-break: break-word; }@media only screen and (max-width:667px) {.mob-stack {display: block !important;width: 100% !important;}.mob-w-full {width: 100% !important;}}.table-base, .table-c, .table-h { border: 1px solid #C0C0C0; }.table-c { padding:5px; background-color:#FFFFFF; }.table-c p { color: #000000; font-family:’Helvetica’,Arial,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }.table-h { padding:5px; background-color:#FFFFFF; }.table-h p { color: #000000; font-family:’Trebuchet MS’,’Lucida Grande’,Tahoma,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }
| p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Todayโs briefing: |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Sponsored by:  |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Good morning Intriguer. So much of international diplomacy can be summed up by one word. That word, dear Intriguers, is โopticsโ. Call it smoke and mirrors, call it perception, call it narrative – it all boils down to the art of image management.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
I remember the first time Iโd heard the word used in a diplomatic context as a junior-burger. It went something along the lines of โthink about the optics of this debacle, and whether it would pass the front-page newspaper testโ.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Now, I may have just aged myself right there, referring to newspapers and all, but itโs an important lesson to remember. And one which Iโm sure the worldโs autocrats can also learn from, as weโll see in today’s example of North Korea.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
PS โ Weโll be taking a short break this Monday, but will be back in your inbox Tuesday!
Naval blues
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
In these polarised times, thereโs one thing we can all agree: seeing someone fail spectacularly is objectively funny. Thatโs why FailArmy, a YouTube channel of people crashing into walls, trees, the floor, and any other hard surface, has 17+ million subscribers.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
It’s also why the news that North Koreaโs new warship capsized during what was supposed to be its triumphant launch really caught our attention.ย ย
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
You see, on Wednesday, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and assorted bigwigs from the ruling North Korean Workers’ Party gathered in Chongjin, a port city in the countryโs north-east, to attend the launch of North Koreaโs second new destroyer.ย
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Kim launched the firstย 5,000-tonne Choe Hyon-class destroyer less than a month earlier to great fanfare. Itโs hard to be sure, but it could represent a legit leap in North Koreaโs naval prowess, so a second successful launch wouldโve sealed the deal.ย
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
But instead, under the watchful gaze of the big dog himself, the warship lost balance as the bow failed to detach from the slipway, crushing part of the hull. According to South Korean intelligence, the ship is now lying on its side in the harbourโs shallows.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
We strive for impartiality here at Intrigue, but indulge us this one chance to say lmao.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
What went wrong?ย
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Hard to know for sure, but the likely factors includeโฆย
-
The Chongjin shipyard lacks a more advanced incline or dry dock, meaning the engineers had to attempt a trickier sideways launchย for the first time
-
The shipโs design and weaponry meant its weight was unevenly distributed, making that first side launch attempt even more of a Hail Mary, and
-
Thereโs also a general sense this whole thing was a rushed job in response to top-down pressure to advance at any cost.ย
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
How did Kim handle this?ย
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Ummโฆ not well. He called it a โcriminal act caused by absolute carelessnessโ, that โbrought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapseโ.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
But while Kimโs meltdown might elicit a chuckle, it starts to make more sense when you realise this weekโs fail goes to the very core of his familyโs justification for eternal rule: to protect North Koreans from a hostile world. If he canโt do that, whyโs he there?
Intrigueโs Take
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
With dictators so dependent on complete narrative control, we couldnโt help wonder why Kim allowed this broadcast at all rather than, you know, blame foreign spies, or pretend it never happened, or claim itโs actually meant to be a submarine haha.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
And as we thought through that question, the answers are kinda intriguing:
-
Domestically, he was at Chongjin with his daughter, hundreds of local elites, and thousands of obedient onlookers. So that epic fail was gonna get out into the Northโs rumour mill whether his state media covered it or not. Andโฆ
-
Internationally, open-source satellite players like Planet Labs and Maxar were already tracking this launch beforehand and would’ve released pics of the submerged destroyer afterwards, so likewise, we wouldโve found out either way.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
So the question for Kim then became not whether to allow the story, but how to shape it. And his answer is clear: deflect blame to subordinates to both a) instil fear and authority, while b) protecting his own Juchist myth of infallibility, without c) triggering another international crisis he canโt afford by blaming his mess-up on South Korea next-door.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Anyway, itโs not just a reminder of the value of open-source satellite imagery, but also an opportunity for foreign intelligence agencies to recruit more of Kimโs terrified engineers.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Sound even smarter:
-
Want to know more about how modern autocrats work together? Join us for a candid chat with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum on 2 June.
Todayโs newsletter is sponsored by The Dispatch
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
For The Silent Majority of Self-Directed Thinkers
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Tired of partisan media cheerleading for one team? Start a better news habit and join The Dispatch.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Jonah Goldberg and Steve Hayes launched The Dispatch in 2019 to build an enduring presence for original reporting and thoughtful analysis that cuts through the partisan spin to deliver the facts. No insulting clickbait, no false outrage, no annoying auto-play videosโjust reliable journalism that prioritizes context, depth, and understanding.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Join half a million loyal readers and start reading The Dispatch today.
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Meanwhile, elsewhereโฆ
 |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐บ๐ธย UNITED STATES – House passes Trumpโs big bill. p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; } Comment:ย While Trumpโs various House factions are each claiming a win, everyone also seems to acknowledge this draft package will add trillions to government deficits over the next decade. And the timing is pretty poor, becauseโฆ |
 |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐ฏ๐ต JAPAN – A bond market implosion? p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; } Comment:ย Itโs partly due to technical drivers (new insurer solvency ratios), but also doubts around Japanโs longer-term fiscal trajectory. Either way, we may see Japanese investors bring their vast piles of cash back home in search of more attractive returns, meaning even lower demand for (and therefore even higher yields on) US debt. |
 |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐ฐ๐ฟ KAZAKHSTAN – PepsiCo doubles down on Kazakh snacks. p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; } Comment:ย PepsiCo is one of the larger US firms still operating in Russia, though it seems to have adjusted its operations in response to public pressure. So Central Asia is the natural choice as a hedge: pursue opportunities in these growing markets, with solid freight links into neighbouring Russia and China if/when things improve. For any less reputable executives looking to skirt sanctions and tariffs, we hear thereโs no shortage of local warehouses willing to relabel your widget as made in Almaty. |
 |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐ซ๐ท FRANCE – French billionaire defies Macronโs call to halt US investments. Bernard Arnault (the luxury magnate worth a cool $150B) has pushed back on the French presidentโs calls to freeze investments in the US after Trumpโs 20% tariffs, arguing it’s โvery badโ for the state to meddle in private business affairs. (Politico) p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; } Comment:ย Aย tricky balance for Arnault, with close ties to both Macron and Trump (he even scored a prime seat at the Trump 2.0 inauguration). Still, any sanctity of Arnaultโs public/private rule didnโt stop him allegedly nixing a high-tax coalition emerging from Franceโs political chaos last year. |
 |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐ต๐ญย PHILIPPINES – President ditches cabinet after lousy midterms. |
 |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐บ๐ธ UNITED STATES – Trump ends Harvardโs international students. p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; } Comment:ย Our WhatsApp group has been firing on this topic (plus Japanโs bond market implosion above), exploring possible political, economic, and strategic drivers (not to mention the imminent lawsuits). Join the chat by sharing Intrigue with five or more friends using your unique referral link. |
 |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
๐ฒ๐บย MAURITIUS – UK signs deal to hand Chagos Islands to Mauritius. |
Extra Intrigue
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Need a fun fact for your Saturday dinner & drinks?
-
Work: HSBC is now linking those sweet sweet bonuses with office attendance.
-
Tech: Anthropic has found that its own AI reportedly blackmails (in extreme circumstances) developers when they threaten to switch to a rival like ChatGPT.
-
Arts: Infamous performance artist Marina Abramoviฤ is planning to open her new exhibit (Balkan Erotic Epic) in the UKโs Manchester this October.
From our friends
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Read by decision-makers. Curated for changemakers. Foreign Affairs delivers insightful, authoritative analysis from global leaders in policy, business, science, and technology. From Washington to Beijing, it’s the trusted source for analysis that drives real-world decisions.ย Subscribe to Foreign Affairs today to get an insider look on todayโs most important debates.ย
Embassy statement of the day
Credits: UK Embassy in Washington
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
The above classic text builds on a long-running US-UK embassy feud about how to brew the perfect tea โ the US embassy in London, for example, weighed in last year after a US professor famously argued that the ultimate โcuppaโ requires a dash of, ummโฆ salt?
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Okay sure, salt in tea is a flagrant violation of human rights law, but these jovial exchanges are a low-lift way to remind citizens that, behind the flags and uniforms, there is real fraternity underpinning todayโs alliances.
Friday quiz
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
Yesterday was International Day for Biological Diversity!
1) How many species now live on Earth? |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
2) How much have wildlife populations shrunk since 1970? |
p span[style*=”font-size”] { line-height: 1.6; }
3) Which category makes up 80% of the world’s biomass? |