Korean unification and United States security alternatives in Northeast Asia

Download
Author
Hasell, Edward L.
Date
1993-06Advisor
Olsen, Edward A.
Second Reader
Kennedy-Minott, Rodney
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The end of the Cold War has removed the external restraints placed on the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that in the past have proved to be a barrier to unification of the two states on the Korean peninsula. An inter-Korea Cold War lingers on, frustrating both governments plans for unification of the peninsula. North and South Korea have made unification a major goal of their governments, and they will eventually succeed in unifying the Korean peninsula. Unification of the Korean peninsula removes the primary basis for a US military presence on the peninsula, that of deterring North Korea. Even in the post Cold War context, the Korean peninsula remains an area of strategic importance to the United States, and to Japan, China, and Russia. The United States has enduring political, economic, and security interests in Korea and Northeast Asia. The United States should expand its relations with North Korea which can now be done without damaging relations with South Korea. Unification of the Korean peninsula would reduce tension and the potential for instability, so the United states should work toward that goal. In the post Cold War, multipolar world of competing economic and political interests, a strong unified Korea as an ally would be an asset to the United States in Northeast Asia, particularly if relations between the US, Japan, and China suffer serious setbacks. It would still best serve the interests of the United States to maintain a military presence on the Korean peninsula in cooperation with the unified Korea government
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Constructing a regional order Northeast Asia and the systemic constraints on Korean unification
Vance, Terence J. (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2006-12);Nowhere has the mid-20th century polarization of Northeast Asia been more evident than on the Korean Peninsula. Over the past six decades, efforts toward Korean unification have spanned the range of total warfare, covert ... -
Cooperative security in Northeast Asia: ramifications of change in the U.S. and ROK maritime strategies
McCallum, Christopher M. (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2002-09);Since the end of World War II, stability in Northeast Asia has been a key goal of the United States. Maintaining a balance of power in this maritime theater has proven important for regional stability and global economic ... -
How will external powers affect Korean reunification?
Tovar, Suzanne M. (Monterey California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2005-09);The Korean peninsula has been a focus of contention since the nineteenth century. Following the division of the peninsula after World War II, the issue of when, and how, Korea will be reunified has been a subject of intense ...