North Korea and the Bomb: Case Study in Nonproliferation

This volume offers a history of a post-Cold War era diplomatic challenge - the North Korean nuclear programme and the US and Allied efforts to stop it. It explains why North Korea may believe it needs nuclear weapons and how the United States has tried to thwart the North's plans. The book lays out a history of diplomacy toward the North, alongside personal vignettes of the actors in this international drama, including Westerners who travelled to North Korea to meet Kim Il-sung before his death. As a case history of non-proliferation, the book offers guidance to the future of US policy in this critical area, arguing that confusion about goals and a refusal to act decisively have undermined American diplomacy. The outcome of the crisis in Korea could have decisive implications for the state of the post-Cold-War world. This volume sets out to trace the origins of the crisis, make sense of the events, and point the way to a resolution.