CIAO DATE: 08/2012
July 2012
Danish Institute for International Studies
The present East Asian security complex is marked by a fear of war. But is there a potential for change into a restrained security regime, based on agreed and observed rules of conduct? This is the fundamental question taken up by Erik Beukel in this DIIS Report. The divided Korean peninsula is a flashpoint in the regional security complex in East Asia. The central issue is the threat posed by North Korea and how to meet it. Based on his review of North Korea as an international actor and of two important incidents in 2010 (the sinking of the South Korean naval ship Cheonan and North Korea’s shelling of the South Korean coastal island of Yeonpyeong), Beukel considers the rationality underlying the country’s military efforts. Beukel also reviews South Korea’s Nordpolitik and the rise and decline of its sunshine policy and describes the role of its alliance with the United States. Finally, the author outlines the relations with North Korea, goals and priorities, and implementation strategies of the two important non-Korean actors in the region, the great powers China and the United States. The conclusion of this DIIS Report is that domestic changes in North Korea are critical for a basic transformation toward a restrained security regime in the region.
Resource link: The Last Living Fossil of the Cold War The two Koreas, the Dragon and the Eagle: towards a new regional security complex in East Asia? [PDF] - 261K