North Korea and the Bomb: A Case Study in Nonproliferation

North Korea and the Bomb offers the first in-depth history of the biggest diplomatic challenge in the post-Cold War era - the North Korean nuclear programme and the US and allied efforts to stop it. Drawing on years of research and dozens of interviews with officials from the major countries involved, Dr Mazarr explains why North Korea may believe it needs nuclear weapons and how the United States has tried to thwart the North's plans. The book lays out a comprehensive history of diplomacy toward the North, alongside personal vignettes of the actors in this international drama, including Westerners who travelled to North Korea to meet Kim Il-sung before his death. As a case history of nonproliferation, the book offers guidance to the future of US policy in this critical area, arguing that confusion about goals and a refusal to act decisively have undermined American diplomacy. The outcome of the crisis in Korea could have decisive implications for the state of the post-Cold-War world. North Korea and the Bomb traces the origins of the crisis, makes sense of current events, and points the way to a resolution.