Bruce Cumings

In continuing his argument that the Korean War was civil and revolutionary in character, Bruce Cumings examines the internal political-economic development of the two Korean states and the consequences, for Korea, of Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. He investigates the intense border fighting and internal political instability that preceded the Northern invasion and challenges the notion of sudden Soviet-sponsored intervention. He also discusses how American foreign policy first applied the containment doctrine to Southern Korea, and went beyond it to a "rollback": doctrine aimed at eliminating communism in North Korea.This study uses diplomatic, military, and intelligence documents, and captured North Korean materials. It covers the impact of the revolution in China and of renewed Japanese industrialization on Korean politics and American foreign policy. It also offers an explanation of China's entry into the war in light of the longstanding ties between Chinese and Korean guerrillas.

Cumings, Bruce

"Passionate, cantankerous, and fascinating. Rather like Korea itself."--Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times Book Review Korea has endured a "fractured, shattered twentieth century," and this updated edition brings Bruce Cumings's leading history of the modern era into the present. The small country, overshadowed in the imperial era, crammed against great powers during the Cold War, and divided and decimated by the Korean War, has recently seen the first real hints of reunification. But positive movements forward are tempered by frustrating steps backward. In the late 1990s South Korea survived its most severe economic crisis since the Korean War, forcing a successful restructuring of its political economy. Suffering through floods, droughts, and a famine that cost the lives of millions of people, North Korea has been labeled part of an "axis of evil" by the George W. Bush administration and has renewed its nuclear threats. On both sides Korea seems poised to continue its fractured existence on into the new century, with potential ramifications for the rest of the world. 25 illustrations

Depicted as an insular and forbidding police state with an "insane" dictator at its helm, North Korea―charter member of Bush's "Axis of Evil"―is a country the U.S. loves to hate. Now the CIA says it possesses nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, as well as long-range missiles capable of delivering them to America's West Coast. But, as Bruce Cumings demonstrates in this provocative, lively read, the story of the U.S.-Korea conflict is more complex than our leaders or our news media would have us believe. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Korea, and on declassified government reports, Cumings traces that story, from the brutal Korean War to the present crisis. Harboring no illusions regarding the totalitarian Kim Jong Il regime, Cumings nonetheless insists on a more nuanced approach. The result is both a counter-narrative to the official U.S. and North Korean versions and a fascinating portrayal of North Korea, a country that suffers through foreign invasions, natural disasters, and its own internal contradictions, yet somehow continues to survive.

Distributed for Yuksabipyungsa Press Bruce Cumings maintains in his classic account that the origin of the Korean War must be sought in the five-year period preceding the war, when Korea was dominated by widespread demands for political, economic, and social change. Making extensive use of Korean-language materials from North and South, and of classified documents, intelligence reports, and U.S. military sources, the author examines the background of postwar Korean politics and the arrival of American and Soviet troops in 1945. Cumings then analyzes Korean politics and American policies in Seoul as well as in the hinterlands. Arguing that the Korean War was civil and revolutionary in character, Cumings shows how the basic issues over which the war was fought were apparent immediately after Korea’s liberation from colonial rule in 1945. These issues led to o the effective emergence of separate northern and southern regimes within a year, extensive political violence in the southern provinces, and preemptive American policies designed to create a bulwark against revolution in the South and Communism in the North.

America is the first world power to inhabit an immense land mass open at both ends to the world’s two largest oceans—the Atlantic and the Pacific. This gives America a great competitive advantage often overlooked by Atlanticists, whose focus remains overwhelmingly fixed on America’s relationship with Europe. Bruce Cumings challenges the Atlanticist perspective in this innovative new history, arguing that relations with Asia influenced our history greatly. Cumings chronicles how the movement westward, from the Middle West to the Pacific, has shaped America’s industrial, technological, military, and global rise to power. He unites domestic and international history, international relations, and political economy to demonstrate how technological change and sharp economic growth have created a truly bicoastal national economy that has led the world for more than a century. Cumings emphasizes the importance of American encounters with Mexico, the Philippines, and the nations of East Asia. The result is a wonderfully integrative history that advances a strong argument for a dual approach to American history incorporating both Atlanticist and Pacificist perspectives.

Ever since the "axis of evil" label was first applied by President Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address, the hawks in his administration have left little doubt as to where they intend to turn their attention after North Korea, Iran, and Syria. Yet most Americans know very little about these three countries beyond what the Pentagon has told them. For those wanting to know more about "who's next," this "timely exposition on global (in)stability" ( Korean Quarterly ) by three leading experts on each country sets the record straight, confronting relentless fearmongering with hard facts. The authors explore each country's history and internal politics alongside the spotty record of past U.S. interventions, including the Korean War and the CIA-sponsored overthrow of Iran's elected prime minister in 1953. As one reviewer pointed "The most important thing we know about Syria is that we really don't know what's going on in Syria" ( Slate ). While entertaining no illusions about these despotic regimes, Inventing the Axis of Evil demonstrates that the truth is far more complicated than some would have us believe.

In a work that synthesizes crucial developments in international relations at the close of the twentieth century, Bruce Cumings—a leading historian of contemporary East Asia—provides a nuanced understanding of how the United States has loomed over the modern history and culture of East Asia. By offering correctives to widely held yet largely inaccurate assessments of the affairs of this region, Parallax Visions shows how relations between the United States, Japan, Vietnam, North and South Korea, China, and Taiwan have been structured by their perceptions and misperceptions of each other. Using information based on thirty years of research, Cumings offers a new perspective on a wide range of issues that originated with the cold war—with particular focus on the possibly inappropriate collaboration between universities, foundations, and intelligence agencies. Seeking to explode the presuppositions that Americans usually bring to the understanding of our relations with East Asia, the study ranges over much of the history of the twentieth century in East Asian–American relations—Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Korean War, and more recent difficulties in U.S. relations with China and Japan. Cumings also rebuts U.S. media coverage of North Korea’s nuclear diplomacy in the 1990s and examines how experiences of colonialism and postcolonialism have had varying effects on economic development in each of these countries. Positing that the central defining experience of twentieth-century East Asia has been its entanglement first with British and Japanese imperialism, and then with the United States, Cumings ends with a discussion of how the situation could change over the next century as the economic and political global clout of the United States declines. Illuminating the sometimes self-deluded ideology of cold war America, Parallax Visions will engage historians, political scientists, and students and scholars of comparative politics and social theory, as well as readers interested in questions of modernity and the role of the United States in shaping the destinies of modernizing societies in Asia.

This work studies television reporting of the US at war since World War II, including detailed coverage of television‘s role in the Gulf. Cumings offers insights into the everyday operations of the media and assesses the possibilities of mobilizing them for political purposes. At the centre of this volume is the tale of Cumings‘ own experience as expert consultant to a Thames Television production— The Unknown War . The book also features film reviews, anecdotes and several invectives against an array of media executives, retired soldiers and bureaucrats.

The Two On the Road to Reunification? (Headline Series)

In Divided United Future? Cumings examines the two Koreas, stressing the importance of historical legacies, the Japanese colonial period and subsequent liberation, the Soviet and American presence, division and war. He analyzes the political and economic systems of North and South Korea, noting the achievements of both radically different regimes.

Bruce Cumings' The Origins of the Korean War: Liberation and the Emergence of Separate Regimes, 1945-1947 is a book that examines the origins of the Korean War. Cumings argues that the war was a civil war and revolution that began with the end of Japanese occupation in 1945. He uses a variety of sources, including Korean-language materials, classified documents, and intelligence reports, to support his claims. In this two-volume work, The Origins of the Korean War, Cumings argues that the war was largely a result of American misunderstandings of Korean politics, American occupational authorities' desire to confront Soviet-style Communism on the peninsula and the damaging legacy of the Japanese colonial era, among other issues.ContentExamines the background of Korean politics after World War II, the arrival of American and Soviet troops, and the emergence of separate northern and southern regimesArgumentThe Korean War was a civil war and revolution with basic issues that were apparent immediately after Korea's liberationSourcesKorean-language materials, classified documents, intelligence reports, and U.S. military sources

Dilemmas In United States-Korean Relations

When Korea s Place in the Sun first appeared Bruce Cumings argued that Korea had endured a fractured shattered twentieth century The new century has seen South Korea flourish after a restructuring of its political economy and North Korea suffer through a famine that has cost the lives of millions of people The United States continues to play an important role on the Korean peninsula from the Clinton administration overseeing the first real hints of reunification to the Bush administration confronting a renewal of nuclear threats On both sides Korea seems poised to continue its fractured existence on into the new century with potential ramifications for the rest of the world For those who need a grounding in the tempestuous history surrounding Korea or a context in which to understand its role in current global politics this updated edition of Korea s Place in the Sun is a must read BOOK JACKET Korea has endured a fractured shattered twentieth century and this updated edition brings Bruce Cumings s leading history of the modern era into the present The small country overshadowed in the imperial era crammed against great powers during the Cold War and divided and decimated by the Korean War has recently seen the first real hints of reunification But positive movements forward are tempered by frustrating steps backward In the late 1990s South Korea survived its most severe economic crisis since the Korean War forcing a successful restructuring of its political economy Suffering through floods droughts and a famine that cost the lives of millions of people North Korea has been labeled part of an axis of evil by the current Bush administration and has renewed its nuclear threats On both sides Korea seems poised to continue its fractured existence on into the new century with potential ramifications for the rest of the world