The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia by Andrei

Description: FREE SHIPPING UK WIDE The Real North Korea by Andrei Lankov In The Real North Korea, Lankov substitutes cold, clear analysis for the overheated rhetoric surrounding this opaque police state. Based on vast expertise, this book reveals how average North Koreans live, how their leaders rule, and how both survive. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Andrei Lankov has gone where few outsiders have ever been. A native of the former Soviet Union, he lived as an exchange student in North Korea in the 1980s. He has studied it for his entire career, using his fluency in Korean and personal contacts to build a rich, nuanced understanding. In The Real North Korea, Lankov substitutes cold, clear analysis for the overheated rhetoric surrounding this opaque police state. After providing anaccessible history of the nation, he turns his focus to what North Korea is, what its leadership thinks, and how its people cope with living in such an oppressive and poor place. He argues that North Korea isnot irrational, and nothing shows this better than its continuing survival against all odds. A living political fossil, it clings to existence in the face of limited resources and a zombie economy, manipulating great powers despite its weakness. Its leaders are not ideological zealots or madmen, but perhaps the best practitioners of Machiavellian politics that can be found in the modern world. Even though they preside over a failed state, they have successfully used diplomacy-includingnuclear threats-to extract support from other nations. But while the people in charge have been ruthless and successful in holding on to power, Lankov goes on to argue that this cannot continue forever,since the old system is slowly falling apart. In the long run, with or without reform, the regime is unsustainable. Lankov contends that reforms, if attempted, will trigger a dramatic implosion of the regime. They will not prolong its existence.Based on vast expertise, this book reveals how average North Koreans live, how their leaders rule, and how both survive. Notes In this study, Lankov substitutes cold, clear analysis for the overheated rhetoric surrounding this opaque police state. it reveals how average North Koreans live, how their leaders rule and how both survive. Author Biography Andrei Lankov is Professor of History at Koomkin University in Seoul, South Korea. A native of Leningrad, he studied in North Korea as an exchange student. His books include North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea, and From Stalin to Kim Il Sung: The Formation of North Korea, 1945-1960. Table of Contents INTRODUCTIONPart 1. THE SOCIETY KIM IL SUNG BUILT AND HOW HE DID ITPart 2: TWO DECADES OF CRISISPart 3. THE LOGIC OF SURVIVAL (DOMESTICALLY)Part 4. THE SURVIVAL DIPLOMACYPart 5. WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE NORTH?Part 6. BEING READY FOR WHAT WE WISH FORCONCLUSION Review "[A] probing, clear-eyed study of the worlds most irascible dictatorship. Lankovs is one of the best and most accessible recent accounts of this seemingly outlandish nation, and the book eschews North Koreas lurid stereotypes to reveal a stunted normalcy."-Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)"The Real North Korea is one of the best books about this isolated republic to appear in years. Andrei Lankov draws on three decades of experience to write a deeply informed, thoughtful, fair-minded and highly readable account of life and politics in North Korea, from day one to the present. His policy recommendations for dealing with the nuclear problem, for a South Korea waiting impatiently to inherit the North, and for the eventual end of thisregime as we know it, are cogent and full of something rare in discussions about this irascible country: common sense."-Bruce Cumings, Chair of the History Department at the University of Chicago, and author of Koreas Place in the Sun: A Modern History"Lankov explains how North Koreas survival imperative combined with South Koreas success compels the regime to persist in internally rational but self-isolating behavior that only further deepens its quandary. North Korea is the Galapagos Island of nation states, and Lankov provides clear analysis of how the regime has survived despite steep odds, why the leadership cannot change, and why it must."-Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy, The Council on Foreign Relations"The Real North Korea presents a detailed and careful analysis of a country that has been difficult for many to understand. Andrei Lankov, one of the worlds top North Korea scholars, provides a fascinating look at the internal dynamics and motivations that drive North Korea. Few scholars of North Korea have the experience and insight of Andrei Lankov, and this book will be required reading for all who wish to better understand the actions of theDPRK."-Terence Roehrig, Professor in National Security Affairs and Director of the Asia-Pacific Studies Group at the U.S. Naval War College and author of Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella"Lankov offers a highly readable book and a unique perspective that yields a knowledgeable, sardonic, acerbic and not entirely dispassionate view of North Korea. The author also dishes up a rare treat, mostly unfound in books of this genre: common sense and humility about the Norths future, a theme from beginning to end."--National Interest"Andrei Lankov has written a wonderful introduction to North Korean history and North Korean studies in The Real North Korea. Historians and researchers in other specialties -- particularly involving the history of the Communist world -- will find it a good introduction to the peculiarities of North Korea. Policymakers and staffers in Washington will find a sober-minded, realistic, and -- given the authors personal background as a Soviet academic --very different take on North Korea than the standard media line. Highly recommended."--History News Network"The book, an engaging blend of scholarship, reportage and memoir, offers striking details about daily life in a country reminiscent of George Orwells 1984." -- The New York Times Book Review (Editors Choice)"The book has the feel of a particularly fascinating college class taught by an elbow-patched luminary. The syllabus ranges from labor camps to nuclear diplomacy...offering both the academic consensus and Lankovs take...Readers will come away with a solid understanding of whats happening in North Korea and why. Lankov illuminates large patches of that North Korea-shaped black hole." --The Washington Post Promotional A fresh and intimate look at this opaque police state, revealing how North Koreans live, how their leaders rule, and how both survive. Long Description Andrei Lankov has gone where few outsiders have ever been. A native of the former Soviet Union, he lived as an exchange student in North Korea in the 1980s. He has studied it for his entire career, using his fluency in Korean and personal contacts to build a rich, nuanced understanding. In The Real North Korea, Lankov substitutes cold, clear analysis for the overheated rhetoric surrounding this opaque police state. After providing anaccessible history of the nation, he turns his focus to what North Korea is, what its leadership thinks, and how its people cope with living in such an oppressive and poor place. He argues that North Korea isnot irrational, and nothing shows this better than its continuing survival against all odds. A living political fossil, it clings to existence in the face of limited resources and a zombie economy, manipulating great powers despite its weakness. Its leaders are not ideological zealots or madmen, but perhaps the best practitioners of Machiavellian politics that can be found in the modern world. Even though they preside over a failed state, they have successfully used diplomacy-includingnuclear threats-to extract support from other nations. But while the people in charge have been ruthless and successful in holding on to power, Lankov goes on to argue that this cannot continue forever,since the old system is slowly falling apart. In the long run, with or without reform, the regime is unsustainable. Lankov contends that reforms, if attempted, will trigger a dramatic implosion of the regime. They will not prolong its existence.Based on vast expertise, this book reveals how average North Koreans live, how their leaders rule, and how both survive. Review Text "[A] probing, clear-eyed study of the worlds most irascible dictatorship. Lankovs is one of the best and most accessible recent accounts of this seemingly outlandish nation, and the book eschews North Koreas lurid stereotypes to reveal a stunted normalcy." -Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)"The Real North Korea is one of the best books about this isolated republic to appear in years. Andrei Lankov draws on three decades of experience to write a deeply informed, thoughtful, fair-minded and highly readable account of life and politics in North Korea, from day one to the present. His policy recommendations for dealing with the nuclear problem, for a South Korea waiting impatiently to inherit the North, and for the eventual end of thisregime as we know it, are cogent and full of something rare in discussions about this irascible country: common sense." -Bruce Cumings, Chair of the History Department at the University of Chicago, and author of Koreas Place in the Sun: A Modern History"Lankov explains how North Koreas survival imperative combined with South Koreas success compels the regime to persist in internally rational but self-isolating behavior that only further deepens its quandary. North Korea is the Galapagos Island of nation states, and Lankov provides clear analysis of how the regime has survived despite steep odds, why the leadership cannot change, and why it must." -Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy, The Council on Foreign Relations"The Real North Korea presents a detailed and careful analysis of a country that has been difficult for many to understand. Andrei Lankov, one of the worlds top North Korea scholars, provides a fascinating look at the internal dynamics and motivations that drive North Korea. Few scholars of North Korea have the experience and insight of Andrei Lankov, and this book will be required reading for all who wish to better understand the actions of theDPRK." -Terence Roehrig, Professor in National Security Affairs and Director of the Asia-Pacific Studies Group at the U.S. Naval War College and author of Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella"Lankov offers a highly readable book and a unique perspective that yields a knowledgeable, sardonic, acerbic and not entirely dispassionate view of North Korea. The author also dishes up a rare treat, mostly unfound in books of this genre: common sense and humility about the Norths future, a theme from beginning to end." --National Interest"Andrei Lankov has written a wonderful introduction to North Korean history and North Korean studies in The Real North Korea. Historians and researchers in other specialties -- particularly involving the history of the Communist world -- will find it a good introduction to the peculiarities of North Korea. Policymakers and staffers in Washington will find a sober-minded, realistic, and -- given the authors personal background as a Soviet academic --very different take on North Korea than the standard media line. Highly recommended." --History News Network"The book, an engaging blend of scholarship, reportage and memoir, offers striking details about daily life in a country reminiscent of George Orwells 1984." -- The New York Times Book Review (Editors Choice)"The book has the feel of a particularly fascinating college class taught by an elbow-patched luminary. The syllabus ranges from labor camps to nuclear diplomacy...offering both the academic consensus and Lankovs take...Readers will come away with a solid understanding of whats happening in North Korea and why. Lankov illuminates large patches of that North Korea-shaped black hole." --The Washington Post Review Quote "[A] probing, clear-eyed study of the worlds most irascible dictatorship. Lankovs is one of the best and most accessible recent accounts of this seemingly outlandish nation, and the book eschews North Koreas lurid stereotypes to reveal a stunted normalcy." -Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "The Real North Korea is one of the best books about this isolated republic to appear in years. Andrei Lankov draws on three decades of experience to write a deeply informed, thoughtful, fair-minded and highly readable account of life and politics in North Korea, from day one to the present. His policy recommendations for dealing with the nuclear problem, for a South Korea waiting impatiently to inherit the North, and for the eventual end of this regime as we know it, are cogent and full of something rare in discussions about this irascible country: common sense." -Bruce Cumings, Chair of the History Department at the University of Chicago, and author of Koreas Place in the Sun: A Modern History "Lankov explains how North Koreas survival imperative combined with South Koreas success compels the regime to persist in internally rational but self-isolating behavior that only further deepens its quandary. North Korea is the Galapagos Island of nation states, and Lankov provides clear analysis of how the regime has survived despite steep odds, why the leadership cannot change, and why it must." -Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy, The Council on Foreign Relations "The Real North Korea presents a detailed and careful analysis of a country that has been difficult for many to understand. Andrei Lankov, one of the worlds top North Korea scholars, provides a fascinating look at the internal dynamics and motivations that drive North Korea. Few scholars of North Korea have the experience and insight of Andrei Lankov, and this book will be required reading for all who wish to better understand the actions of the DPRK." -Terence Roehrig, Professor in National Security Affairs and Director of the Asia-Pacific Studies Group at the U.S. Naval War College and author of Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella "Lankov offers a highly readable book and a unique perspective that yields a knowledgeable, sardonic, acerbic and not entirely dispassionate view of North Korea. The author also dishes up a rare treat, mostly unfound in books of this genre: common sense and humility about the Norths future, a theme from beginning to end." --National Interest "Andrei Lankov has written a wonderful introduction to North Korean history and North Korean studies in The Real North Korea. Historians and researchers in other specialties -- particularly involving the history of the Communist world -- will find it a good introduction to the peculiarities of North Korea. Policymakers and staffers in Washington will find a sober-minded, realistic, and -- given the authors personal background as a Soviet academic -- very different take on North Korea than the standard media line. Highly recommended." --History News Network "The book, an engaging blend of scholarship, reportage and memoir, offers striking details about daily life in a country reminiscent of George Orwells 1984." -- The New York Times Book Review (Editors Choice) "The book has the feel of a particularly fascinating college class taught by an elbow-patched luminary. The syllabus ranges from labor camps to nuclear diplomacy...offering both the academic consensus and Lankovs take...Readers will come away with a solid understanding of whats happening in North Korea and why. Lankov illuminates large patches of that North Korea-shaped black hole." --The Washington Post Feature Selling point: Based on both archival research as well as extensive interviews with North Koreans inside and outside their country, in their native language (a surprisingly rare case in North Korean studies)Selling point: Challenges some widespread assumptions about North Korea like the idea that sooner or later, North Korea will emulate China (the author demonstrates why this is highly unlikely to happen and if were happen, how it is even less likely to succeed)Selling point: Challenges two schools of thought which exist in the US foreign policy establishment and in academy when it comes to dealing with North Korea. The book explains why neither a hardliner nor a dove can seem to get the results they want in dealing with the North and why both strategies are flawed Details ISBN0199390037 Author Andrei Lankov ISBN-10 0199390037 ISBN-13 9780199390038 Format Paperback Subtitle Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia DEWEY 951.9305 Media Book Illustrations illustrations Short Title REAL NORTH KOREA Language English Position Professor of History Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Affiliation Professor of History, Koomkin University, Seoul UK Release Date 2015-02-26 NZ Release Date 2015-02-26 US Release Date 2015-02-26 Birth 1928 Qualifications MBBS, FRACP Pages 336 Publisher Oxford University Press Inc Year 2015 Publication Date 2015-02-26 Imprint Oxford University Press Inc Alternative 9780199964291 Audience General AU Release Date 2014-12-09 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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