The regime of Kim Jong-Il has been called "mad," "rogue," even, by the Wall Street Journal, the equivalent of an "unreformed serial killer." Yet, despite the avalanche of television and print coverage of the Pyongyang government's violation of nuclear nonproliferation agreements and existing scholarly literature on North Korean policy and security, this critical issue remains mired in political punditry and often misleading sound bites. Victor Cha and David Kang step back from the daily newspaper coverage and cable news commentary and offer a reasoned, rational, and logical debate on the nature of the North Korean regime.
Coming to the issues from different perspectives—Kang believes the threat posed by Pyongyang has been inflated and endorses a more open approach, while Cha is more skeptical and advocates harsher measures—the authors together have written an essential work of clear-eyed reflection and authoritative analysis. They refute a number of misconceptions and challenge much faulty thinking that surrounds the discussion of North Korea, particularly the idea that North Korea is an irrational nation. Cha and Kang contend that however provocative, even deplorable, the Pyongyang government's behavior may at times be, it is not incomprehensible or incoherent. Neither is it "suicidal," they argue, although crisis conditions could escalate to a degree that provokes the North Korean regime to "lash out" as the best and only policy, the unintended consequence of which are suicide and/or collapse. Further, the authors seek to fill the current scholarly and policy gap with a vision for a U.S.-South Korea alliance that is not simply premised on a North Korean threat, not simply derivative of Japan, and not eternally based on an older, "Korean War generation" of supporters.
This book uncovers the inherent logic of the politics of the Korean peninsula, presenting an indispensable context for a new policy of engagement. In an intelligent and trenchant debate, the authors look at the implications of a nuclear North Korea for East Asia and U.S. homeland security, rigorously assessing historical and current U.S. policy, and provide a workable framework for constructive policy that should be followed by the United States, Japan, and South Korea if engagement fails to stop North Korean nuclear proliferation.
Victor D. Cha is associate professor of government and D. S. Song–Korea Foundation Chair, Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. He is the author of Alignment Despite Antagonism: The United States-Korea-Japan Security Triangle, which won the 2000 Ohira Book Prize. David C. Kang is an associate professor in the department of government and an adjunct associate professor at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College. He is the author of Crony Capitalism: Corruption and Development in Korea and the Philippines.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Debate over North Korea Victor Cha: Weak but Still Threatening David Kang: Threatening, but Deterrence Works Response: Why we must pursue "hawk engagement" (Cha) Response: Why are we so afraid of engagement? (Kang) Crisis Redux: The 2003 Nuclear Crisis Beyond Hyperbole, Toward a Strategy
What People are Saying About This
Fareed Zakaria
This book is invaluable in thinking through the costs and benefits of engagement or containment. It is intelligent, well-researched, and presents both sides of the argument fairly. In other words, it is unusual in the world of policy.
— Fareed Zakaria, Columnist, Newsweek
Richard V. Allen
Nuclear North Korea is a straightforward assessment, balanced and thorough, and filled with vital facts. This is an important addition to scholarship and to the policy making community. The authors, fully versed in both the literature and the culture of the topic, make a valuable contribution to understanding how we must deal with our longest running and now escalating nuclear nightmare problem.
— Richard V. Allen, National Security Advisor to President Reagan and Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution
Ashton Carter
Nuclear North Korea, written in a smooth and lucid style, is the most thoughtful and analytical treatment of practical strategies for dealing with North Korea that exists in print.
— Ashton Carter, Harvard University
Richard K. Betts
North Korea's nuclear capability may pose the greatest current danger for U.S. security policy. Yet almost none of the strategists addressing the problem are genuine experts on Korea, and while punditry on the issue abounds, hardly any scholars have applied rigorous academic analysis to the task of policy recommendations. This serious but clearheaded book does much to fill in both glaring gaps. Cha and Kang provide a model example of how to apply expertise to policy debate in a timely, readable, and thoughtful way.
