Skip to content
Search
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

News

Graphic Truth: Vietnam vs North Korea

Graphic Truth: Vietnam vs North Korea
By Gabe Lipton,
Gabe Lipton
Gabe Lipton is the Associate Editor of Signal responsible for editorial execution of GZERO Media’s written newsletter content. He holds degrees in Government and Economics from Wesleyan University, where he was a member of the international economic honors society, and is studying German in his spare time. At the age of 11, the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) confirmed (in person) his take on an important political question of the day, forever sealing his fate as a close observer of global politics. His Spidey powers leave much to be desired.
See Full Bio
Ari Winkleman
Ari Winkleman
Ari Winkleman is a former lead designer at Eurasia Group and GZERO Media.
See Full Bio
February 27, 2019
Make us preferred on Google

In 1982, North Koreans were around 5 times better off than their Vietnamese counterparts. The intervening four decades are a story of radically different leadership in the two countries with dramatic results. Today, the situation is reversed, with per capita GDP in Vietnam 3 times higher than in North Korea. As President Trump and Kim Jong-un sit down for their second face-to-face meeting in Hanoi this week, the message from the US is clear: give away your nukes and prosperity awaits.

Latest Videos

Brazil’s left-wing president wins historic fourth termplay icon
Quick Take

Brazil’s left-wing president wins historic fourth term

Could US & Israeli elections reshape the Middle East?
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Could US & Israeli elections reshape the Middle East?

What would Netanyahu's electoral defeat mean for the Middle East?
GZERO World Clips

What would Netanyahu's electoral defeat mean for the Middle East?

In memory of Moose
ask ian

In memory of Moose

Trump's latest turn against Ukraine could be for good
The Debrief

Trump's latest turn against Ukraine could be for good

What a Democratic Congress would mean for Trump and the GOP
GZERO World Clips

What a Democratic Congress would mean for Trump and the GOP

More For You

Lula comes back, again

Lula comes back, again
Eileen Zhang
Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva staged an astonishing comeback on Sunday to win a record fourth term, breaking a string of recent right-wing victories in Latin America. His opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, has so far refused to accept the results – echoing his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who refused to accept a loss to Lula in 2022. [...]

Do you have a right to Vegemite?

Do you have a right to Vegemite?
Will Fitzpatrick
That ban is much to the dismay of inmate Andre McKechnie, who sued Victoria’s Department of Justice and Corrections and argued that the ban violated his right to “enjoy his culture as an Australian.” But on Monday, Victoria’s Supreme Court rejected his challenge. Invented in the 1920s as an alternative to the then-popular Marmite, Vegemite was [...]

Venezuela’s opposition leader finally returns, Students win big in Serbia election, Algeria to send troops to Niger

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets supporters after travelling from Barquisimeto, where she made her first public appearance following her return to the country after nearly a year abroad, in Caracas, Venezuela, October 25, 2026.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets supporters after travelling from Barquisimeto, where she made her first public appearance following her return to the country after nearly a year abroad, in Caracas, Venezuela, October 25, 2026.

REUTERS/Gaby Oraa
Venezuela’s leading opposition figure returns homeAfter ten months in exile, Maria Corina Machado is back in Venezuela. Until now she has been largely sidelined by the Trump administration, which ousted strongman Nicolás Maduro in January and installed his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, instead. Machado wants elections by July, and polls show she is the [...]

Middle East elections and escalation, with Brett McGurk

Middle East elections and escalation, with Brett McGurk
As Israel and the US head toward elections, the Middle East faces the prospect of further escalation. The Iran war has no clear endpoint, Houthi attacks are threatening US partners, and governments across the region are questioning whom they can count on.On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer speaks with Brett McGurk, former White House Middle [...]