North Korea: Peace? Nuclear War?: Foreward, Overview

Abstract

North Korean nuclear weapons create today’s greatest issue of war and peace, the only imminent risk of nuclear war. President Obama told President Trump this was the most urgent issue he was inheriting. The Korean people have been suffering war, division, famine in the north, and risk of annihilation for far too long. Is there now a chance for peace and denuclearization? Half a century ago, facing of an overwhelming and imminent threat, a militarily and economically inferior South Korea was developing nuclear weapons. Nixon intervened decisively, but the halt was sustained by South Koreans’ recognition that nuclear conflict would end Korean civilization. Is a similar outcome possible in the North today? Could it be linked with a broader peace or even unification? This book is a compilation about the North Korean nuclear crisis by leading experts of all policy opinions and specialties. Despite the diversity of views, strong conclusions are drawn.