Victor Cha

I'll admit to having something of a fascination with North Korea, surely one of the planet's strangest, most awful places. I've read Barbara Demmick's "Nothing to Envy" and B.R. Meyers's "The Cleanest Race," and while Victor Cha's "The Impossible State" is wonkier than those two volumes, it's may, in the strictest sense, be the most informative of the three. Cha worked on the North Korea issue during the second Bush administration and his knowledge of the the country and region and its show more problems is deep and nuanced. In my opinion, the most useful facets of "The Impossible State" are Cha's recounting of North Korea's history as it relates to the Kim dynasty and his exploration of the ideology that holds the regime together. He provides an interesting history of North Korea's role in the Cold War -- when it was considerably better off than its southern neighbor -- and how this conflict continues to inform it's leader's worldviews. Cha doesn't just attibute North Korea's situation to world-historical forces, though. "The Impossible State" also contains an extensive history of the truly impressive string of disastrous decisions that North Korea's leaders have made to bring it to its current condition. Cha also explores what the oft-cited concept of "juche" means in a modern context, and includes a lot of interesting material on North Korean identity. It's difficult to know, of course, how many ordinary North Koreans believe the massive amounts of state propaganda that they're exposed to, but Cha convincingly argues that the Kim regime is so closely tied into the Kim dynasty that more North Koreans support their government than most people would think possible. This is the sort of stuff that you won't find in your average news report on North Korea. Likewise, his description of North Korea's confusing but effective negotiating tactics is, although repetitive, enlightening.

There are elements of "The Impossible State" that are probably less relevant to the average reader, though. While I found Cha's description of China and the DPRK mutually non-beneficial relationship interesting, his meticulous description of its relationship with all of its neighbors will probably interest academics and no one else. Cha, who served under George W. Bush, also gives his former boss considerable praise for his work on the North Korea issue: any lefties that still cringe when they hear Dubya's name might want to skip this one. (For what it's worth, Cha makes an effort to argue that Bush's policy towards the DPRK wasn't as disengaged as many people assume). "The Impossible State" runs a bit long, and, even though the text has been updated describe the changes that followed the death of Kim Jong-Il, it's still, at this point, somewhat outdated. Recommended to readers who have a special interest in what's often called "The Peninsula of Bad Options." show less

A fascinating look at the history of North Korea and diplomacy efforts over the years by the U.S. and other countries like China and Russia. When I hear a news story about NK--e.g. about their nuclear efforts and/or testing, or about human rights issues or religious persecution (nothing ever good!)--I wonder why more is not done to punish or stop them...this book provides an excellent perspective of why more is not done and explains the reasoning behind what IS done. It's a long book, but show more well written so that it's an easy read. The only thing I found challenging is the author writes more topically than chronologically so I had to try to create a timeline in my head to get a full picture of what was happening. show less

A very thorough history and review of policy towards the DPRK. A couple of take aways for me is how dedicated previous administrations were, especially Bush II, were to finding a solution to the humanitarian crisis in the DPRK. The DPRK officials knew the only reason they were being treated as they were (trips to NYC, steak dinners, etc..) was because they had nuclear capabilities and why would you give up your only pawn.

You come away feeling sorry for the people. They are "a shrimp caught show more between two whales", a tiny nation caught between China and the US and have had no say so in their position in life. show less

An excellent overview on North Korea through the initial reign of Kim Jong-un. Victor Cha was the National Security Council adviser in multiple administrations responsible for Asia, with his primary "time-suck" being North Korea from the late 1990's-2007.

Cha does a good job describing the modern situation of North Korea, including the policy decision of China, South Korea, Japan and the US to prop up the Kim regime (along with well meaning NGO's that prop up the regime through the aid they show more naively send there). He portrays the differences between the communist elite and the regular North Korean, as well as going into an excellent analysis of why North Koreans accept, serve and worship the Kim family.

A large part of the recent history of North Korea circles around its missile and nuclear development. Cha provides historical details on the development of weapons in North Korea, inside analysis of the 6-party negotiations and the difference in goals between North Korea and the rest of the world when they sit at the negotiating table.

For anyone unfamiliar with North Korea or looking for a good overview of the country as it is now, The Impossible State is the best I've read. Despite it's 544 pages, it is a relatively easy read and gives plenty of details and stats so that it makes a good reference book on the hermit kingdom. show less