North Korea: Another Country FROM THE PUBLISHER
Judging from media reports, North Korea is the country Americans love to hate. A charter member of Bush's "Axis of Evil" whose leader, Kim Jong Il, is routinely described as "insane" and "diabolical" and a self-proclaimed alternative to neo-liberalism and globalization, North Korea is anathema to conservative and liberal Americans alike. And now the CIA says it possesses one or two nuclear weapons, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, and long-range missiles capable of delivering atomic bombs or smallpox to America's West Coast.
Suffering no misconceptions regarding North Korea's dubious political tradition - from human-rights violations to token democracy - Bruce Cumings insists on a more nuanced understanding of U.S.-North Korean relations. From CIA reports on North Korea's impressive social programs to that country's genuine efforts to address the new strategic environment since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cumings draws from his extensive knowledge of Korean history and declassified government reports to show that North Korea is as fascinating as it is repellent, as formidable as it is unique and idiosyncratic.
SYNOPSIS
For the United States, the Korean War is the forgotten war, and North Korea itself remains the unknown country, with American foreign policy towards it plagued by ignorance and long-standing racism. In what is essentially a plea to normalize relations with the so-called "Axis of Evil" country, Cumings (history, U. of Chicago) details the background of the long-simmering political crisis between the United States and North Korea. He describes how the Communists came to power in the context of centuries of authoritarian feudalism; examines how massive destruction unleashed by the U.S. in the war, including the bombing of dams, has conditioned North Korean perceptions of U.S. intentions; and offers a picture of North Korean society and its leaders that counters much of the mythology that currently passes for analysis. While we may find the North Korean leaders abhorrent, Cumings says, they aren't going away, so it behooves us to try to understand them. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Died-in-the-wool American patriots and the Republican Party's faithful will receive little comfort in reading Cumings' critical study of U.S. policy toward North Korea. First, Cumings (history, Univ. of Chicago; The Origins of the Korean War) reviews some of the dirty aspects of an essentially unknown American war in Korea. He next proceeds to suggest the commission of American atrocities and follows with a plausible set of reasons for North Korea's rejection of 50 years of Japanese colonial rule, another 50 years of American hegemony, and the existence of a powerful South Korea. The current administration receives a devastating critique for the American retreat from the 1994 Framework Agreement with North Korea, their suggestion of a preemptive strike against North Korean nuclear facilities, and their desire for the overthrow of the North Korean government. Cumings concludes that the North Korean leadership of Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong Il, is not lunatic in nature but predictable and deeply rooted in historic Korean culture. North Korea will be uncomfortable reading for some, but it is a necessary corrective to prior American media conditioning. Recommended for all libraries.-John F. Riddick, Central Michigan Univ. Lib., Mt. Pleasant Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Home
