A troubled peace : U.S. policy and the two Koreas / Chae-Jin Lee.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 3003-341) and index.

1. Introduction -- 2. The United States faces Korea -- First encounters -- Japanese ascendancy in Korea -- National division -- The Korean War -- The containment system -- 3. The dynamics of structural adjustment : from Nixon to Carter -- The Guam Doctrine -- Nixon's China policy -- Ford's interregnum -- Carter's military policy -- The Koreagate investigations -- Political crisis in South Korea -- 4. The passing of the Cold War : the Reagan and Bush years -- Reagan's anti-communist policy -- The Beijing talks -- Roh's Northern diplomacy -- Economic relations -- 5. From containment to engagement : Clinton's policy -- Engagement policy -- The Four-Party Talks -- The Perry process -- A missed opportunity -- 6. In search of hegemonic diplomacy : Bush's policy -- Bush's new doctrines -- The "axis of evil: -- The HEU program -- Multilateral diplomacy -- The Six-Party Talks -- A strained alliance -- The Yongsan Garrison -- South Korean troops in Iraq -- 7. Prospects -- Continuity and change -- Inter-Korean relations -- The United States and Korea after unification.

Professor Chae-Jin Lee reviews the vicissitudes of U.S. policy toward South and North Korea since 1948 when rival regimes were installed on the Korean peninsula. He explains the continuously changing nature of U.S.-Korea relations by discussing the goals the United States has sought for Korea, the ways in which these goals have been articulated, and the methods used to implement them. Using a careful analysis of declassified diplomatic documents, primary materials in English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, and extensive interviews with American and Korean officials, Lee draws attention to a number of factors that have affected U.S. policy: the functions of U.S. security policy in Korea, the role of the United States in South Korea's political democratization, President Clinton's policy of constructive engagement toward North Korea, President Bush's hegemonic policy toward North Korea, and the hexagonal linkages among the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas.

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2010.