South Korea at the crossroads: autonomy and alliance in an era of rival powers

"Against the backdrop of China's mounting influence and North Korea's growing nuclear capability and expanding missile arsenal, South Korea faces a set of strategic choices that will shape its economic prospects and national security. In South Korea at the Crossroads, Scott A. Snyder examines the trajectory of fifty years of South Korean foreign policy and offers predictions -- and a prescription -- for the future. Pairing a historical perspective with a shrewd understanding of today's political landscape, Snyder contends that South Korea's best strategy remains investing in a robust alliance with the United States." --

"A Council on Foreign Relations book."

Includes index.

List of figures and tables -- Preface -- South Korea's strategic choices -- Strategic choices under authoritarian rule -- Roh Tae-Woo and Kim Young-Sam : Nordpolitik and democratization -- Kim Dae-Jung and the sunshine policy -- Roh Moo-Hyun's balancer policy -- Lee Myung-Bak's global Korea policy -- Park Geun-Hye's Asian paradox -- The paradox of South Korea's middle-power status -- Korea between the United States and China -- Unification and Korean strategic choices -- Epilogue : South Korean strategic choices and the U.S.-South Korea alliance -- Select Source Documents. Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Republic of Korea, 1953 -- Joint Statement of North and South, 1972 -- Inter-Korean Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation Between South and North Korea, 1991 -- South-North Joint dDeclaration, 2000 -- Declaration on the Advancement of South-North Korean Relations, Peace, and Prosperity, 2007 -- Joint Vision for the Alliance of the United States of America and the Republic of Korea, 2009 -- Joint Declaration in Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Alliance Between the Republic of Korea and the United States of Ame…