North Korean Nuclear Crisis And Its Impact On Security In Northeast Asia

Due to its historical and geographical reasons, the Korean Peninsula remains as one of the major political focuses worldwide. The outbreak of the two Korean crises was underscored by its profound historical background. An objective study on the reasons and characteristics of the outbreak of these two crises will contribute to not only a clear understanding of this particular problem but also a better mastery of the overall situation of the whole Korean Peninsula. The development trend of the Korean Peninsula in the future will invariably exert an influence on the formation of a brand-new situation for safety in Northeastern Asia.The area of Northeastern Asia is crucial to the interest of a number of major countries in the world such as United States, Russian, China and Japan. Any changes in their political strengths in this area will lead to a change in the overall political layout in Asia, and even in the world. Therefore, a comparative study will be carried out in this thesis to illustrate the impact of Korean crises to different Northeastern-Asia countries. In additional, a discussion is presented in this thesis on the specific strategies chosen for different countries so as to provide a clear understanding of the current overall situation in Northeastern Asia. To retain its hegemony worldwide, the United States deliberately makes its policy for Korean Peninsular based on its alliance with Japan and South Korea, with a hope to maintain a dynamic equilibrium in this area. To achieve the goal of being a "normal giant country" in the world, Japan enthusiastically chooses the footsteps of the United States in its own diplomatic policies in Northeastern Asia and Korean Peninsular. Russia is trying to reclaim its status of being a big country in the world, thus great emphasis has been put on its role in Korean Peninsular. Russia has a positive attitude towards problems in Korean Peninsular and is in opposition to dominance of any single country in this issue. The China' s strategic policy in Northeastern Asia is to actively involve in theresolution of Korean crisis;not only against the confining policies of the United States but also seek mutual cooperation.The chain effect in politics and safety triggered by Korean crisis will impose profound impact to Northeastern Asia, and even for the whole world. Korean crisis makes the United States begin to put more emphasis on its policies in Northeastern Asia and values more the cooperation with China. Japan has no choice but to give up its "independent" foreign policy under the pressure resulting from the crisis and begin to choose the footsteps of the United States. This is used by Japan as an excuse for reforming and adapting its national defense system. For Russia, this crisis provides it with an ideal opportunity to recover power in the peninsular. This crisis contributes to the resolution of Taiwan problem for China, whereas it brings obstacles for the unification of North and South Korea.Despite the unremitting efforts put by different parties for solving the crises, we are still not so optimistic for prospective of a peaceful solution. Historical and realistic reasons have rendered such possible ' solutions extremely difficult to reach though the six-party talk turns out to be a feasible way to resolve this crisis. Possible solutions for Korean crises will be explored in this thesis. There are several ways potentially leading to the ultimate resolution of Korean crisis: 1) it is resolved by military means;2) It will be referred to the United Nations (UN) by U. S;3) it is resolved by a peaceful evolution of North Korea driven by the United States.