Buch, Englisch, 336 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 236 mm, Gewicht: 470 g
Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia
Buch, Englisch, 336 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 236 mm, Gewicht: 470 g
ISBN: 978-0-19-939003-8
Verlag: Oxford University Press
In The Real North Korea, Lankov substitutes cold, clear analysis for the overheated rhetoric surrounding this opaque police state. After providing an accessible 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 is not 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-including nuclear 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.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
- Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen Geopolitik
- Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme
- Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Menschenrechte, Bürgerrechte
- Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien Marxismus, Kommunismus