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.
