In July 1993, President Bill Clinton visited the Republic of Korea as part of a tour in Northeast Asia. Looking across the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea, President Clinton described the terrain he saw as one of the scariest places on earth. Now, well into the first decade of the 21st century and several years after the end of the Cold War, President Clinton's observation remains accurate. In fact, the argument can be made that the Korean peninsula is even more dangerous than it was in 1993. How did this happen when, throughout most of its more than 2,000 year history, Korea was one of the most homogeneous countries among the world's nation states, with its people sharing a common language and ethnicity? Since the end of World War II and primarily through the actions of external powers, the Korean peninsula has been divided-with North and South Korea engaged in a competition for the heart and soul of the Korean nation and international legitimacy. Some experts have referred to the peninsula as one of the last vestiges of the Cold War. Global Security Watch-Korea compares the ways in which the two Koreas have developed their respective political and economic systems over the past 50 years, as well as the competition between them. The focus then shifts to the North Korean nuclear weapons program and an examination of some of the reasons North Korea has been willing to expend economic and political resources to build this program. Berry analyzes the challenge to peace and stability represented by a nuclear-armed North Korea and the only marginally successful efforts of the United States and other countries to convince North Korea to terminate this program, aneffort complicated by policy differences between the United States and South Korea regarding the Pyongyang regime. The handbook concludes with predictions of possible outcomes in this volatile area.

North Korea has been described as the most secretive country on earth. Dealing with such a closed society one that is simultaneously seeking acceptance through nuclear relations while defying the plea to cease development of nuclear weapons is difficult for governments and policy makers, but Perspectives on Policy Toward North Korea opens discussion on the various approaches the United States has adopted and is considering. Providing expert views on the impasse between the U.S. and North Korea, the volume addresses topics that include the negotiating strategies of the Clinton and Bush administrations, the concept of building bilateral relationships through contact of U.S. and South Korean military officers, and the benefits of allowing China to take the lead in conflict resolution. Employing both traditional and unusual methods, including diplomatic, academic, and military viewpoints, Perspectives on Policy Toward North Korea is an essential guide to a better understanding of this complicated dynamic and an important work for policy makers, analysts, and anyone interested in conflict resolution and security studies."

North Korea has been described as the most secretive country on earth. Dealing with such a closed society_one that is simultaneously seeking acceptance through nuclear relations while defying the plea to cease development of nuclear weapons_is difficult for governments and policy makers, but Perspectives on Policy Toward North Korea opens discussion on the various approaches the United States has adopted and is considering. Providing expert views on the impasse between the U.S. and North Korea, the volume addresses topics that include the negotiating strategies of the Clinton and Bush administrations, the concept of building bilateral relationships through contact of U.S. and South Korean military officers, and the benefits of allowing China to take the lead in conflict resolution. Employing both traditional and unusual methods, including diplomatic, academic, and military viewpoints, Perspectives on Policy Toward North Korea is an essential guide to a better understanding of this complicated dynamic and an important work for policy makers, analysts, and anyone interested in conflict resolution and security studies.