Book Review: Nicholas Eberstadt, The End of North Korea (Washington, DC: The AEI Press, 1999, 191 pp., no price given hbk.)
| DOI | 10.1177/03058298000290030914 |
| Published date | 01 December 2000 |
| Date | 01 December 2000 |
| Author | Jaeho Hwang |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Millennium
950
There are two rea sons why this is a probl em. First, the book offers only bri ef and
unsystemati c analyses of the developments of rea list th eory after the Cold War
now branded neo-classical realism. This omi ssion is important because so me of the
most cru cial points o f criticism ag ainst contempo rary realism are made redunda nt
by thi s new develop ment. Second, a c onsiderable part of Donnelly’s discus sion of
the role of international instit utions in realist theory is based almost exclu sively on
one article b y John Mearsheimer. This is a p roblem becau se most contemporary
realists disagree strongly with Mearsheimer’s particular type of realism. A more
extensive survey of the contemporary realist literature on international instit utions
would have facilita ted a ric her and fairer discussion of the realist positio n on
internatio nal institution s.
Despite the se reservations, Donnell y’s book sh ould be required rea ding for
realists, because it points o ut some of the most impo rtant shortcomin gs that the y
need to ad dress if the relevance of t heir research programme to international
relations is to be preserved. Th e style and organisation o f th e book - in particula r
the incl usion of brief bib liographical essays at the end of e ach chapter - will make
it a useful tool for graduate and advanced undergrad uate students intere sted in the
subject. It shoul d also be of inte rest to scholars work ing within other traditions than
realism, in parti cular those with an interest in the phil osophical roots of IR theory.
ANDERS WIVEL
Anders Wivel is As sistant Professor of Internatio nal Relations at the Inst itute
of Politic al Science, Universit y of Copenha gen
Nicholas Eberstadt, The End of North Korea (Washin gton, DC: The AEI Press,
1999, 191 pp. , no price given hb k.).
Nicholas Eb erstadt’s book o n the Democratic People’s Republi c of Korea (DPRK)
fills an important gap in the literature on this subject. His work provides a full
understand ing of the present North Korean issue. The book deal s with reunificati on,
economic revival, and regional pol itics as well as with the regime’s durability. Its
basic argument is that an i mmediate, success ful Korean reunificati on would
outweigh the excessive costs incurred by delayed reunification: spill-over effects
will not only benefit all countries in the region, but also contribute to the stability of
the region.
On reunific ation, chapter two arg ues that North Kore a’s quest for un ification has
been unp roductive and, as a re sult, has challenge d the North’s legitimac y. The way
toward a Korean unification may have alread y begun, but not on DPRK terms. In
the foll owing three chap ters, the autho r examines the current economic difficulties
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