This course explores various aspects of the North Korean regime, in conjunction with the theory and practice of international security. The focus is to think critically about some of the most pressing challenges that Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development programs pose to the peace and stability of the international community. First, we will examine relevant concepts and theories of international security. Second, we explore why North Korea has become a threat to the international community, exploring the sources of North Korean foreign policy at the individual, domestic, and international levels of analysis. We discuss the legacies of Japanese colonialism on the making of the North Korean state, the personality cult of the Kim family, the Juche belief system, the end of the Cold War, the US alliance network in Asia, and China’s rising global influence. Third, we consider the foreign policy tools available to deal with North Korea. To evaluate the international efforts since the 1990s, we assess the effectiveness of the Six Party Talks, the Sunshine Policy, and UN Security Council sanctions, among other measures. Fourth, we investigate Pyongyang’s bilateral relations with the United States, South Korea, China, and Japan. The final section looks at the question of the possible unification of the two Koreas.

Alliances are among the most important phenomena in international politics. Why do states form alliances and how do they choose their allies? What does it take to successfully manage alliance relationships? The course is designed for an in-depth examination of America’s alliances in Asia from the perspectives of international relations theory, contemporary Asian history, and policy. Since the end of World War II, a series of bilateral alliances between the U.S. and its Asian partners have formed what is known as the “hub-and-spoke system,” a key feature of the regional security order in East Asia. However, after nearly three decades since the end of the Cold War, the international security environment today is remarkably different. We will consider how recent developments in the region—such as China’s growing power and influence, Japan’s defense policy revision, North Korea’s continuing nuclear and missile programs, and Asian multilateralism – impact America’s Asia strategy and its overall alliance system in the region.

This course examines key territorial, historical, and trade disputes involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Japan, and the two Koreas in the context of Asian international relations. The focus is to think critically about some of the most pressing challenges to Asia's peace and stability, in conjunction with the theory and practice of international security. This course aims to improve your ability to analyze the conditions under which disputes over trade, territory, and historical memories in Asia might escalate to become military conflicts or are resolved through diplomatic efforts. We take an in-depth look into the sources and consequences of these challenges to Asia’s future. Specifically, we examine how major events and conflicts among contemporary China, the two Koreas, and Japan have evolved in interaction with their own values, aspirations, perspectives, and social contexts, and by external international conditions. We will learn to analyze and evaluate evidence and sources, keeping these socio-historical contexts in mind. We will develop policy recommendations in ways that connect concepts and theories of international security with what we witness in day-to-day international politics in Asia.

This course is designed to introduce students to the politics and foreign policy of the Republic of Korea (ROK, or South Korea). With an understanding that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) is a major factor in South Korean political processes and foreign policy making, it is organized around the following four themes: 1) the division of the Korean peninsula and prospects for Korean reunification, 2) South Korea’s transition to democracy, 3) the political economies of the two Koreas, and 4) South Korea’s national security and foreign relations with other major powers in the region. Part 1 explores several critical junctures in Korean history, including Japanese colonialism, the Korean War, and the division of the Korean peninsula in order to gain insights into Korean identity and nationalism. How do the two Koreas view themselves? How is history relevant to today’s Korean politics and foreign policy? In Part 2, we turn to South Korea’s domestic politics and political economy, especially its journey to democracy through periods of authoritarian rule and the country’s rapid economic development. It is here that we investigate the Park Chung Hee era, the concept of a South Korean development state, and the mass movement behind South Korean democratization. North Korea’s political systems and internal circumstances involving the Military First Policy, a limited marketization following the Great Famine in the 1990s, and the succession of power from Kim Jong-Il to his son Kim Jong-Un will also be considered. Part 3 moves on to discussing national security and foreign policy issues of the two Koreas, addressing the US-ROK alliance, inter-Korean relations, and the two Koreas’ relations with China and Japan.