Dancing with the Dragon: China, North Korea and Regime Change

Abstract

If there is one thing that Kim Jung Il is good at, it is capturing the attention of the world by generating a crisis.1 North Koreas recent missile and nuclear tests demonstrate this fact.2 These tests have not only spawned a great deal of angst among the United States (US) and her allies, but surprisingly in China as well. Clearly, China is not pleased with these actions especially since she was heavily engaged in the six party talks hoping to keep Kim Jung Ils regime nuclear free.3North Koreas intransigence on the nuclear issue and corresponding inflammatory rhetoric raised questions if Kims provocations would result in a conflict with the US or the Republic of Korea (RoK). Any military clash could escalate into a replay of the Korean War, though this time, dragging two nuclear-armed powers into a direct conflict with one another. Additionally, Kims seemingly erratic behavior generated questions if he was fully in control of the government or himself. Obviously, Kims successful nuclear tests werent the desired outcome for China or the US.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 17, 2010
Accession Number
AD1018538

Entities

People

  • Steven L. Shinkel

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asia
  • California
  • Governments
  • International Law
  • Korean War
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • North Korea
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Security
  • South Korea
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Weapons

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Strategic Security Studies