The Impossible State, Updated Edition - North Korea, Past and Future

"Drawing upon his unique and deep academic work and policy experience, Victor Cha has produced one of the most astute, insightful, and lucid texts on North Korea. Simply put, this book is a must-read for all--experts and casual observers alike--interested in developments on the Korean Peninsula." --MARK LIPPERT , former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic and International Studies In The Impossible State, seasoned international-policy expert and lauded scholar Victor Cha pulls back the curtain on provocative, isolationist North Korea, providing our best look yet at its history and the rise of the Kim family dynasty and the obsessive personality cult that empowers them. Cha illuminates the repressive regime's complex economy and culture, its appalling record of human rights abuses, and its belligerent relationship with the United States, and analyzes the regime's major security issues--from the seemingly endless war with its southern neighbor to its frightening nuclear ambitions--all in light of the destabilizing effects of Kim Jong-il's death and the transition of power to his unpredictable heir. Ultimately, this engagingly written, authoritative, and highly accessible history warns of a regime that might be closer to its end than many might think--a political collapse for which America and its allies may be woefully unprepared.

Product details

• Authors: Victor Cha
• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.10.2018
• EAN: 9780062906366
• ISBN: 978-0-06-290636-6
• No. of pages: 592
• Dimensions: 135 mm x 203 mm x 24 mm
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Korea, military history, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, 21st century, c 2000 to c 2100, Second World War, United States of America, USA, c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period), General and world history, History of the Americas, Military history: post-WW2 conflicts, Ordnance, weapons technology, 1950–1953 (Korean War period), Weapons and equipment, HISTORY: United States / 21st Century, HISTORY: United States / 20th Century, HISTORY: Asia / China, ASIAN & ASIAN AMERICAN: NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA, HISTORY: Modern / 21st Century, HISTORY: Military / Korean War, HISTORY: Military / Weapons, HISTORY: Asia / Korea, HISTORY: Modern / 20th Century / General, HISTORY: Asia / South / General, Asian & Asian American / North & South Korea