Suchergebnisse

All prudent consumers are supposed to be guided by the waming embodied in the ancient Latin expression Caveat emptor ("Let the buyer beware"). A contemporary geopolitical modification of that expression should be borne in mind by Americans as the United States more vigorously embraces the legitimacy of preemptive military attacks against adver-saries who may attack the United States— namely, Caveat preemptor.

This article appeared in Strategic Insights (April 2003), v.2 no.4 ; Tensions surrounding North Korea escalate unpredictably on an almost daily basis. Much of this volatile situation can be ascribed to Pyongyang's willingness to engage in a reckless combination of provocative acts and rhetorical tirades that constitute its infamous diplomatic brinkmanship. North Korea's willingness to make use of its nuclear option in a U.S.-DPRK diplomatic meeting last October seems to have been motivated by a desire to reinforce its peculiar brand of deterrence. The Kim Jong-il government was further emboldened in subsequent months by the combination of two sets of circumstances. First were favorable political developments in South Korea--in the form of December's election of President Roh Moo-hyun, who strongly favors ROK engagement of the DPRK and took office riding a wave of strident anti-Americanism. The second were the United States' commitments within its war on terrorism and related tensions in the Middle East that stretched U.S. strategic resources. Against this background North Korea saw an opportunity.

U.S.-Korean relations have been influenced by diverse factors over the years. Political, economic, and strategic parameters have shaped and reshaped U.S. relations with both South and North Korea, and strongly influenced the circumstances of inter-Korean relations. Two characteristics have dominated these factors. First, there is a prevailing tendency to focus on momentous events such as the impact of the Korean War, the Cold War, political successions, and periodic crises of one sort or another. As corollaries of these major events, an array of precipitating factors have played a causal role in U.S.-Korean relations. A second characteristic is the endemic interplay between the policies of both the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) vis-a-vis U.S. policy toward either Korea and vis-a-vis each other. In short, the evolution of U.S.-Korean relations has been subject to many nuances.

Discusses military aspects of relations between the US and North and South Korea; focuses on missile defense, atomic weapons, and policy issues.