North Korea and the World

"Clemens' book is an appeal for common sense and objectivity when dealing with North Korea and, by implication, other US adversaries. It is a densely researched study that reflects not only the author's previous work on North Korea but also his wide-ranging other scholarship on Russia, complexity science, and international relations generally."—Mel Gurtov, author of Pacific Asia: Prospects for Security and Cooperation in East Asia

"The author excels in applying the philosophy of humanity and morality to the dire situation of North Korea as well as comparing and contrasting other troublesome nations, such as Iran. The book strikes readers with its thorough, persuasive, comprehensive, insightful perceptions. As an issue-focused volume, the study is of great interest to negotiators and diplomats, government officials, and students and scholars of Korean politics and North Korea studies."—Choice

"North Korea and the World is essential reading for those pondering the reasons for the endless frustrations of U.S.-DPRK relations. Clemens, relying on many decades of thoughtful reflection about the complexities of global diplomacy, especially U.S.-Soviet relations during the Cold War, has written a masterful study useful for policymakers, scholars, and laymen alike."—Journal of American-East Asian Relations

"[Clemens] intertwines concepts of humanity and social obligation into the hot-button conversation of a nuclear-armed North Korea and discusses how not only the United States but also regional actors and powers should deal with the situation. In the end, he offers several options to deal with North Korea in the future."—H-Net Reviews

"Walter Clemens, an Associate at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, offers a deep and thorough survey of how the past in North Korea has conditioned the present, and offers perspectives on future US policy toward Pyongyang. Although almost 450 pages—60 pages of notes—this book is so well researched and written that it reads like a Tom Clancy novel. This book is for policymakers and all Americans concerned about a belligerent, insecure and impoverished nation that is developing weapons of mass destruction that may soon be capable of annihilating a major American city in less than an hour at the push of a button. Therefore, this volume is well worth our attention."—North Korean Review

"As international concerns over North Korea mount daily, one finds in this critical text an expansive, almost holistic, approach to dealing with a recalcitrant Pyongyang. Although Walter C. Clemens Jr. tackles the serious subjects of his subtitle—human rights, arms control, and negotiation strategy—he broaches many more and, fundamentally, the existential crisis of negotiating with evil."—Political Science Quarterly