How do you Create a Complex Isolationist Nation-State like North Korea?

5 points by jngreenlee 13y ago ↗ HN

Hi Hackers, with North Korea in the news so much, a topic of curiosity has returned to my mind...what does it take to build a relatively capable isolationist nation?

Some definition is probably in order. North Korea is of interest because the nation-state appears to be capable of complex engineering and manufacturing (if nothing else, nuclear capabilities are a good milestone), to the point of being worth international concern. By contrast, I'm sure there are some effectively isolated island or African nation-states that cannot achieve the same level of significance.

So for an isolationist nation-state to be able of complex sophistication, one requirement does seem to be that the people are relatively imprisoned, either through force or indoctrination, or a combination. This facilitates some type of energy/GDP transfer from the people to the central direction of the nation-state.

However, that alone is not enough - it does not mean that the surface area of the population and/or natural resources are rich enough. A total slave society in a desert won't produce as much complexity (Egypt comes to mind, but they had the Nile, hence the exception).

So some combination of (Forced Central Direction) + (Minimum Natural Resources) + (Minimum Population or Productivity) must be the formula to break out of total and immediate failure, and to get on a technology development track. I would imagine another ingredient is external state support in N.Korea's case, but I'd like to leave that to the side at first. Maybe it turns out that's the only way an isolated nation-state can get on an advanced technology track.

Any thoughts?

3 comments

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waqas- 13y ago ↗

north korea in not capable of complex engineering and manufacturing. developing a nuclear weapon does not illustrate anything in that regard, what it does illustrate is that any nation with enough paranoia (or valid external threats even) and craziness can develop a nuclear weapon.

its isolation was actually an obstacle in developing the said weapon and they had to collaborate<?> with china, russia, pakistan to develop them.

dtsingletary 13y ago ↗

This is my next YC project.

lsiebert 13y ago ↗

North Korea isn't as isolationist as people think. It has both imports and exports. I recall reading that it has a chain of eateries in china that send back revenues to it. What it keeps out is culture.

Totalitarianism is easier then you think. You need a powerful state security apparatus, and then you make people it's victims, and it's instruments. So neighbors inform on neighbors, children on parents. You purge any people who publicly disagree with the state in the name of security, and even if people privately disagree, they won't do anything.