About this item
"Drawing upon his unique and deep academic work and policy experience, Victor Cha has produced one of the most astute, insightful, and lucid texts on North Korea. Simply put, this book is a must-read for all - experts and casual observers alike - interested in developments on the Korean Peninsula." - MARK LIPPERT, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic and International StudiesIn The Impossible State, seasoned international-policy expert and lauded scholar Victor Cha pulls back the curtain on provocative, isolationist North Korea, providing our best look yet at its history and the rise of the Kim family dynasty and the obsessive personality cult that empowers them. Cha illuminates the repressive regime's complex economy and culture, its appalling record of human rights abuses, and its belligerent relationship with the United States, and analyzes the regime's major security issues - from the seemingly endless war with its southern neighbor to its frightening nuclear ambitions - all in light of the destabilizing effects of Kim Jong-il's death and the transition of power to his unpredictable heir.
About the Author
Victor Cha is the former Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, where he served as an advisor to the President from 2004-2007. The recipient of two Outstanding Service commendations during his tenure at the White House, Cha is also the award-winning author of Alignment Despite Antagonism and Beyond the Final Score: The Politics of Sport in Asia. His writing has appeared in Foreign Affairs, International Security, and Political Science Quarterly among other journals. He currently holds the D.S. Song Chair in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
