The Korean Peninsula and Indo-Pacific Power Politics: Status Security at Stake

Description

This book assesses the strategic linkages that the Korean Peninsula shares with the Indo-Pacific and provides a succinct picture of issues which will shape the trajectory of the Korean Peninsula in the future. This book analyses how critical actors such as the United States, China, Russia and Japan are caught in a tightly balanced power struggle affecting the Korean Peninsula. It shows how these countries are exerting control over the Korean Peninsula while also holding on to their status as critical actors in the broader Indo-Pacific. The prospects of peace, stability and unity in the Korean Peninsula and the impact of this on Indo-Pacific power politics are explored as well as the contending and competing interests in the region. Chapters present country-specific positions and approaches as case studies and review the impact of power politics on stakeholders’ relationships in the Indo-Pacific. The book also argues that the Korean Peninsula and the issue of denuclearization is of primary importance to any direction an Indo-Pacific Partnership may take. Bringing together scholars, journalists and ex-diplomats, this book will be of interest to academics working in the field of international relations, foreign policy, security studies and Asian studies as well as audiences interested Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Illustrations Figures 5.1 North Korea’s Pattern of Behaviour 5.2 References to Denuclearisation 5.3 National Policy Initiatives of the Moon Jae-in Government 9.1 East Asia Railway Community Initiative Among China, Mongolia and Russia 10.1 Total Trade Between India and South Korea 10.2 Total Trade Between India and North Korea 11.1 State’s Preference Model 11.2 Conflict Policy 11.3 Dynamics of Decision-Making in Conflict Policy Process 11.4 Leadership Change of N.K’s Political System 11.5 Strength-Pressure Curve Tables 5.1 North Korea’s Intentions and Related Hypotheses 5.2 Policy Objectives of the Moon Jae-in Government 10.1 India’s Stance on Major UN Resolutions and Sanctions 10.2 India’s Discussions on Denuclearization with Major Stockholders in the Korean Peninsula List of Contributors List of Abbreviations Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: The Korean Peninsula and Indo-Pacific Power Politics: Status Security at Stake Part I: Critical Perspectives 1 America’s Conflicted Strategy for the Korean Peninsula: from “Fire and Fury” to “Denuclearisation” 2 China’s Relations with North Korea: Surmounting the “Great Wall” 3 Japan’s Security Pledge in the Korean Peninsula 4 The Twists and Turns of Russia’s Relations with North Korea Part II: Contending Perspectives 5 Denuclearisation and Peace Regime on the Korean Peninsula: Perspectives of the two Koreas 6 Korean Peninsula and the Evolving Sino-US Strategic Stability in the Indo-Pacific 7 DPRK’s proliferation Activities and the Denuclearisation talks: Security in the Indo-Pacific and Beyond 8 Russia and the two Koreas 9 Mongolia and the North-East Asian Peace Process 10 India and the Korean Peninsula: Between Dialogue, Diplomacy, and Denuclearisation Part III: Competing and Cooperating Perspectives 11 Unification of Koreas and North Korea’s Changing Political System: Models and Movements 12 Negotiating Mechanisms in the Korean Peninsula: what has worked? any Lessons for the Indo-Pacific? 13 Geoeconomics of the Indo-Pacific: Competing Economic Architectures and South Korea 14 Between Security and Insecurity: Resource Politics in North-East Asia Index