Nuclear North Korea ─ A Debate On Engagement Strategies

Victor Cha and David Kang step back from overheated political rhetoric and ill-informed cable news commentary to offer a reasoned debate on the nature of the North Korean regime and its threat to the rest of the world. The authors come 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. They challenge much of the faulty thinking that surrounds the discussion of North Korea, particularly the idea that North Korea is an irrational nation. Cha and Kang also examine the implications of a nuclear North Korea for East Asia and U.S. homeland security, assess historical and current U.S. policy toward both North and South Korea, and provide a framework for constructive policy if engagement fails to stop North Korean nuclear proliferation.

David C. Kang is associate professor in the department of government and an adjunct associate professor at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College.