North Korea - The Struggle Against American Power
Author: Tim Beal
Publisher: Pluto press 2005
Hardback ISBN: 0 7453 20147
Paperback ISBN: 0 7453 2013 9
“Timely, important and provocative. A useful corrective to the stereotypes and misinformation that pervade
'conventional wisdom’ about North Korea”
Professor Charles Armstrong, Director, The Center for Korean Research, Columbia University.
During the late 1990s, relations between North Korea and the USA and its allies were on the mend. However, the election of George W. Bush resulted in a renewed crisis. The painfully achieved nuclear accord between the two countries was torn up, dashing North Korean hopes for establishing normal diplomatic and economic relations.
This book cuts through the propaganda to unearth the complex and contradictory realities of this much-demonised country and its geopolitical context. It may not be a ’worker’s paradise’ but, like Iraq, neither is it a threat to its neighbours and the region in the way normally portrayed.
Tim’s book reveals a country that sees itself under constant threat and consequently overburdened by defensive military spending. However, he also shows that North Korea is very pragmatic about negotiating with the United States. Attempts at economic reform and export expansion are shackled by the US and Japanese hostility.
Exploring a broad rage of subjects including the historical and political framework of North Korea, the development of the nuclear crisis, human rights issues, accusations of drug trading, as well as its shifting relationship with South Korea, this is an ideal book for anyone who wants a thorough introduction to the daunting challenges faced by this country.