Nuclear North Korea — A Debate on Engagement Strategies

Refuting inaccuracies and misconceptions spread by television and print media's portrayal of North Korea as an irrational regime, two scholars provide an intelligent discussion of the true nature of North Korean and the implications of the current North Korean crisis for U.S. and East Asian security. Far from "rogue," or "suicidal," Cha (Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown) and Kang (Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth) show that, however deplorable, the behavior of the Pyongyang government is at times coherent and comprehensible. The authors assess historical and current U.S. policy and provide a constructive framework that should be followed by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea if engagement fails to stop nuclear proliferation in North Korea. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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.