This book presents a comprehensive overview of international attempts to engage North Korea diplomatically with the aim of avoiding a nuclear war.
This book presents a comprehensive overview of international attempts to engage North Korea diplomatically with the aim of avoiding a nuclear war.
It highlights the difficulty of this task, concluding that the containment of North Korea currently depends more on military deterrence than on diplomatic restraint. It considers the various multilateral attempts at diplomatic engagement over recent decades and explores the different approaches of different countries, examining the domestic factors and the strategic interests which drive different countries’ different approaches. It includes an account of China’s growing estrangement, Russia’s increasing closeness, and the surprising relationship between North Korea and Sweden which has been effective in providing the North Korean people with humanitarian aid.
Revealing the story of diplomatic frustrations and failures when engaging North Korea, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Korean studies, Asian politics, and international relations.
Arvustused
"With North Korea sending soldiers to support Russia and with tensions on the Korean Peninsula at a new high, the search is on for fresh ways to deal with the hermit kingdom. Engaging North Korea is essential reading for diplomats and security specialists, especially those handling Northeast Asia and Russias war on Ukraine."
Robert Wihtol, adjunct faculty member at the Asian Institute of Management, realcleardefense.com
Part 1: Introduction
1. Engaging North Korea: A Task for Sisyphus? Part
2: Superpowers and the DPRK
2. The United States Diplomacy towards a
Nuclearizing DPRK: Agreed Framework, Six-Party Talks and Summits
3. A Basic
Framework for Understanding China-North Korea Relations Part 3: Regional
Great Powers and the DPRK
4. Russia and the Democratic Peoples Republic of
Korea in the 21st Century
5. Japan and North Korea: Reminders of Forgotten
Realities Part 4: Korean Middle Powers
6. Containment versus Engagement:
South Koreas Polarized Politics and Different Approaches to the North Korean
Conundrum
7. North Koreas Relentless Nuclear Path: Advances in Nuclear
Capability and Doctrine Part 5: ASEAN Middle Powers
8. Singapore-Democratic
Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) Relations: Diplomacy and Humanitarian
Assistance
9. The Vietnam-DPRK Experience: Sharing and Engagement for Peace
and Prosperity Part 6: Discreet Roles of the European Union, Sweden and
Ireland
10. Swedens Enduring Relations with North Korea: Establishing Trust
for Peace
11. The European Unions Humanitarian Assistance Program in the
Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea
Lam Peng Er is Head of the Korea Centre and Principal Research Fellow of the East Asian Institute (EAI) at the National University of Singapore, Singapore.
