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A Troubled Peace

U.S. Policy and the Two Koreas

Chae-Jin Lee

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In A Troubled Peace, Professor Chae-Jin Lee reviews the vicissitudes of U.S. policy toward South and North Korea since 1948 when rival regimes were installed on the Korean peninsula. He explains the continuously changing nature of U.S.-Korea relations by discussing the goals the United States has sought for Korea, the ways in which these goals have been articulated, and the methods used to implement them.

Using a careful analysis of declassified diplomatic documents, primary materials in English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, and extensive interviews with American and Korean officials, Lee...

In A Troubled Peace, Professor Chae-Jin Lee reviews the vicissitudes of U.S. policy toward South and North Korea since 1948 when rival regimes were installed on the Korean peninsula. He explains the continuously changing nature of U.S.-Korea relations by discussing the goals the United States has sought for Korea, the ways in which these goals have been articulated, and the methods used to implement them.

Using a careful analysis of declassified diplomatic documents, primary materials in English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, and extensive interviews with American and Korean officials, Lee draws attention to a number of factors that have affected U.S. policy: the functions of U.S. security policy in Korea, the role of the United States in South Korea's political democratization, President Clinton's policy of constructive engagement toward North Korea, President Bush's hegemonic policy toward North Korea, and the hexagonal linkages among the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas.

Drawing on concepts of containment, deterrence, engagement, preemption, and appeasement, Lee's balanced and thoughtful approach reveals the frustrations of all players in their attempts to arrive at a modicum of coexistence. His objective, comprehensive, and definitive study reveals a dynamic—and incredibly complex—series of relationships underpinning a troubled and tenuous peace.

Reviews

Reviews

Any collection which includes details on Korean history will find essential to the fold the addition of A Troubled Peace: U.S. Policy and the Two Koreas.

Lee provides an excellent study of foreign policy-making in a region vital to American interests... This volume will serve as a valuable resource for scholars of American foreign policy and contemporary Korean history.

One of the best two or three books on Korea's international relations in the English language and should be of great interest to a wide range of scholars and general readers.

A valuable study.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
376
ISBN
9780801883316
Illustration Description
1 map
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Note on Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Terms
1. Introduction
2. The United States Faces Korea
First Encounters
Japanese Ascendancy in Korea
National Division
The Korean

Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Note on Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Terms
1. Introduction
2. The United States Faces Korea
First Encounters
Japanese Ascendancy in Korea
National Division
The Korean War
The Containment System
3. The Dynamics of Structural Adjustment: From Nixon to Carter
The Guam Doctrine
Nixon's China Policy
Ford's Interregnum
Carter's Military Policy
The Koreagate Investigations
Political Crisis in South Korea
4. The Passing of the Cold War: The Reagan and Bush Years
Reagan's Anti-Communist Policy
The Beijing Talks
Roh's Northern Diplomacy
Economic Relations
5. From Containment to Engagement: Clinton's Policy
Engagement Policy
The Four-Party Talks
The Perry Process
A Missed Opportunity
6. In Search of Hegemonic Diplomacy: Bush's Policy
Bush's New Doctrines
The "Axis of Evil"
The HEU Program
Multilateral Diplomacy
The Six-Party Talks
A Strained Alliance
The Yongsan Garrison
South Korean Troops in Iraq
7. Prospects
Continuity and Change
Inter-Korean Relations
The United States and Korea after Unification
Appendix: Tables
Notes
Index

Author Bio
Chae-Jin Lee
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Chae-Jin Lee

Chae-Jin Lee is the BankAmerica Professor of Pacific Basin Studies and director of the Keck Center of International and Strategic Studies at Claremont McKenna College.