"They are rational, calculating, and smarter than naive Westerners."
Huh??? If they are "rational, calculating, and smarter than naive Westerners", why are they building a huge hotel when:
1. nobody wants to even visit North Korea.
2. even if you want to visit they probably won't let you in anyway?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel
You are correct that they are a troll and great at playing the Cold War game and I'm sure the average North Korean is as intelligent as anyone else. But I would have to say that the leadership in North Korea is neither intelligent or rational or calculating. they tend to behave "childishly" ( hey, look at me, my people are starving, but I got nukes! I got nukes! ) and they are just trying to maintain power using the old cold war games in a different world.
But its not 1960, 1970 or 1980 anymore. I doubt the Chinese or any of the countries that were part of the former Soviet Union would help them out if it came to war. In addition, I doubt their military would fair well at all against the more modern South Korean forces, especially with help from the US and other allies. Its not a "1950's" world anymore. A large army doesn't always win wars. For example, the Iraqis had a large amount of troops and the republican guard, but moral doesn't hold up very well when your solders are attacked by much more modern equipment.
The North Korean leadership is just another relic of the cold war. A "pseudo-communist" fascist dictatorship that used to be propped up by the former Soviet Union and China that is becoming less and less relevant. T