Bond Villains (1): Dr. No

This crazed villain is a complete mystery to us. Few outsiders have stepped foot in his domain. Even fewer have come out alive to tell about it. He is an anomaly even among his fellow "Orientals". The East, and especially China, should be allied with him. Yet it has rejected him. Because of his outward, exotic appearance, the West has likewise rejected him. He has nuclear ambitions and is interested in weakening America's long range missile capabilities. He desperately wants to fit in, but is only accepted by a loose confederation of fellow tyrants and pariahs.

Was that a description of Dr. Julius No or Kim Jong-Il?

We in the West have been afraid and distrustful of "Orientals", the Other, since time immemorial (see the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan). Dr. No, played brilliantly in a stereotypical late 50s/early 60s Hollywood manner (see Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's) by Joseph Wiseman, fits the fear-inducing role perfectly.

I am by no means defending No and Kim. They are bad men. But because we do not understand the cultures and families in which they were raised, we automatically pigeon hole them one-dimensionally, without more. They are complex people with unique emotions, temperaments, experiences, and hang-ups, just like the rest of us. No's motives and personality have much to do with being raised in China by a German missionary father and a Chinese mother. He was never accepted by the East and rejected by the West. For Kim, he did not rise to power through ruthless cunning and charisma. He was handed the throne on a silver platter by his father, the even Dearer Leader.

Under Bush, we saw Chavez, Castro, Ahmadinejad, and Kim as equally maniacal, insane, and non-sensical. They became caricatures. But they could not be more different from each other. If we are to make this world a safer place, we must deal with these people. But before we talk to them, we must understand them.

Bond villian ranking:
1. Dr. No

CKY