Target North Korea: Pushing North Korea to the Brink of Nuclear Catastrophe [Paperback]

Gavan McCormack (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1560255579 | ISBN-13: 978-1560255574 | Publication Date: February 12, 2004

North Korea seems impenetrable to outsiders, a bizarre, Stalinist sideshow and relic guerrilla state that defies explanation. For Washington, North Korea is a fully paid-up member of George Bush’s “axis of evil,” involved in a dangerous game of nuclear brinksmanship since last October. In this timely book, McCormack shows how decisive the founding myths and national identity forged through Korea’s armed resistance to a brutal Japanese colonialism are, and how hardened North Korea has become over half a century of Cold War. He shows that at the heart of the Korean crisis is the role of Japan where the North Korean admission of having abducted Japanese citizens has created something of a right-wing, nationalist backlash in a country that itself once abducted thousands of Koreans and almost sixty years later has yet to fully apologize for its acts. A foreign policy satellite of the United States, Japan is now showing signs of becoming more militarily independent, wanting to reassert its old role as a regional hegemon. Permeated by so many ills, North Korea —paranoid, insecure, and ravaged by famine—is in a vice with few cards in its pack. The nuclear one has been its joker for at least a decade.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the most important writers in English at work today on all of the countries of Northeast Asia-Korea, China, Japan (and Okinawa) ... [His work on North Korea] has had great influence because of McCormack's insights into North Korean thinking, his refusal to be drawn into Washington's ill-informed cliches about North Korea, and his very powerful historical perspective... McCormack's voice needs to be heard as the U.S once again moves militarily into an area it deeply misunderstands and where resentments against it have festered throughout the Cold War."

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books (February 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560255579
• ISBN-13: 978-1560255574
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,780,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well Balanced Book on an Emotional Subject, March 22, 2005

By 

Coyner Thomas Lee "Tom Coyner" (Jungro-Gu, Seoul Korea, Republic of) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Target North Korea: Pushing North Korea to the Brink of Nuclear Catastrophe (Paperback)

Writing even a political science book about North Korea without emotion or strong bias is a remarkably difficult task. On the surface the Pyongyang represents what most non-Koreans would instinctively loath. At the same time, there are those foreign writers who have been too uncritical and too willing to give the benefit of the doubt in trying to understand the North's (and South's) logic.

Dr McCormack has somehow been able to steer a remarkable intellectually honest path noting along the way the mistakes and sins of all parties to this ongoing conflict. No one country comes out looking like a champ. Perhaps that is the advantage of writing from an Australian perspective. Regardless, this book is remarkably even-handed and dispassionate without being overly dry.

The book is immensely readable and concise. As a long term resident of Korea and a recognized amateur political analyst, I would recommend this book as an excellent starting point for anyone interested in this subject. I would also suggest this book to any "old Korea hand" who could use an update on this subject as well as a single volume reference dealing with US-Korean relations since 1945.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Convincing and insightful, July 6, 2004

By 

Brian (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Target North Korea: Pushing North Korea to the Brink of Nuclear Catastrophe (Paperback)

I read this book after Aquariums of Pyongyang to get a better understanding of North Korea's position in world politics. I consider I was very fortunate in choosing this book.

This author challenges typical views of North Korea as simply an evil empire through a very convincing analysis of the political circumstances leading up to the current situation but at the same time he does not defend the regime.

Whereas I suspect other books focus on criticising the DPRK, McCormack is heavily critical of US policy and diplomacy for its role in the current deadlock and the escalating nuclear threat. His insights have greatly helped me to understand current developments and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to go beyond Washington's over-simplified representation of the state of affairs.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, some clarity on the North Korea issue, June 8, 2005

By 

Timothy Baker "timabaker" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Target North Korea: Pushing North Korea to the Brink of Nuclear Catastrophe (Paperback)

This is a fantastic book. I know a fair bit about Korea, but it wasn't until reading this book that I came to some understanding of North Korea's behaviour, particularly over the past 5-10 years. It seems that when it comes to North Korea, the media simply trumpet what governments say, and push the line that North Korea is irrational and cannot be understood. McCormack shows otherwise. The book is also concise and easy to read.