Korea (Global Political Hot Spots)

Koreaisoneofthecriticalflashpointsintheworldtoday.NewsofNorthKorea'srecentnucleartests,conductedindefianceofinternationalpressure,drewwidespreadcondemnationandraisedseriousconcernsaboutthethreatnowposedtoregionalandinternationalsecuritybytheregimeofNorthKorea'sdearleaderKimJong-Il.ThisbookpenetratestheveilsurroundingtheconflictontheKoreanpeninsulaandNorthKorea'smissileandnuclearprogrammes.ItprovidesathoroughhistoricalanalysisofrelationsbetweenthetwoKoreassincetheKoreanWar,whichtracesbothNorthKorea'spathtoeconomicruinandSouthKorea'stransitionfromstrugglingdictatorshiptovibrantdemocracy.AswellasexaminingthepoliticalandeconomicdevelopmentofNorthandSouthKoreaatthedomesticlevel,thebookgoesontoexploreregionalrelationswithRussia,ChinaandJapanand,mostimportantly,America'sdealingswithKoreaanditsnegotiationswithNorthKorea,inparticular.ItconcludeswithananalysisofNorthKorea'scurrentnuclearprogrammeanditslikelyimpactoninternationalsecurityinthe21stcentury.