The Hermit Mouse Roars: North Korea's Response to U.S. Security Policies
Abstract
Misperceptions matter. Even two rational actors may appear as unpredictable madmen if they refuse to communicate with each other and compromise. The DPRK believes that the U.S. ultimate goal is to remain the world s only superpower. To that end, the United States strives to put the entire Korean Peninsula, a strategic vantage in Northeast Asia, under its total control, in order to contain China, Russia, and Japan and to achieve its ambition of turning the international system into a U.S.-led unipolar world thereby establishing an unchallenged U.S. domination all over the world. lhe North Korea leaders fear war with the United States and are constantly preoccupied with what they perceive as the threat of a U.S. preemptive nuclear attack. Pyongyang has lost much interest in genuine negotiations with the Bush administration. They escalate nuclear and missile tensions to the brink to drive their position home, namely fight us now or leave us alone. Pyongyang and Washington talk past each other, find themselves in an exacerbating security dilemma, and continue to undertake self-defensive measures resulting in further escalation of nuclear tensions. A mutually aggressive posture of preemptive preemption may lead to accidental outbreak of hostilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA592290
Entities
People
- Alexandre Mansourov
Organizations
- Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies