Synopses & Reviews
The Korean peninsula, divided for more than fifty years, is stuck in a time warp. Millions of troops face one another along the Demilitarized Zone separating communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea. In the early 1990s and again in 2002-2003, the United States and its allies have gone to the brink of war with North Korea. Misinterpretations and misunderstandings are fueling the crisis. "There is no country of comparable significance concerning which so many people are ignorant," American anthropologist Cornelius Osgood said of Korea some time ago. This ignorance may soon have fatal consequences.
North Korea, South Korea is a short, accessible book about the history and political complexites of the Korean peninsula, one that explores practical alternatives to the current US policy: alternatives that build on the remarkable and historic path of reconciliation that North and South embarked on in the 1990s and that point the way to eventual reunification.
Synopsis
North Korea/South Korea is a short, accessible book about the history and politics of the Korean peninsula, with a focus on the U.S. presence. The first of four sections is a snapshot of the status quo. The second section establishes a political and economic context through an exploration of the history of the Korean peninsula, including the Korean War. The third section surveys the current regional political dynamic. The last section concentrates on the shift in emphasis in U.S. foreign policy from engagement under the Clinton administration to containment under the Bush administration. Feffer offers concrete proposals for U.S. policies that could help reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula.
John Feffer is the editor of Power Trip: U.S. Foreign Policy After September 11.
Synopsis
The Korean peninsula, divided for more than fifty years, is stuck in a time warp. Millions of troops face one another along the Demilitarized Zone separating communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea. In the early 1990s and again in 2002-2003, the United States and its allies have gone to the brink of war with North Korea. North Korea has sought a nuclear deterrent to prevent U.S. intervention. The Bush administration has placed North Korea in an "axis of evil" and declared that it wants regime change in Pyongyang. The aggressive stance of the U.S. government has hardened North Korea's position, threatened the rapprochement between North and South, and caused considerable concern in other countries in the region. "North Korea, South Korea is a short, accessible book about the history and political complexities of the Korean peninsula. The first section is a snapshot of the current moment. The second section will put these current developments in a political and economic context through an exploration of the history of the Korean peninsula. The third section will expand the focus to look at the regional dynamic. In the late 1990s, North and South Korea embarked on a historic path of reconciliation that points the way to eventual reunification. At the same time, North Korea has courted Japan, hoping for a deal to finance the former's ambitious economic reforms. Finally, the last section will concentrate on the shift in emphasis in U.S. foreign policy from engagement under the Clinton administration to containment under the Bush administration.
Synopsis
A powerful primer on the last front of the Cold War, the conflict between North and South Korea.
About the Author
JOHN FEFFER'S books include Beyond Detente: Soviet Foreign Policy and U.S. Options, Shock Waves: Eastern Europe After the Revolutions, Living in Hope: Communities Respond to Globalization, and Power Trip: U.S. Unilateralism and Global Strategy after September 11. From 1998 to 2001, Feffer lived in Tokyo and traveled throughout East Asia, making more than twenty trips to South Korea and three trips to North Korea. He lives in the Washington, D.C., area.