An Historic Turnabout In East Asian Affairs
Chinese pressure led North Korea to finally engage in talks
with South Korea this week in the northern capital of Pyongyang, says
Dr. Robert Bedeski (political science).
"The Chinese want to see the Americans out of Korea," says Bedeski. "If the threat of military action from the North is diminished, then there is no justification for the large American military presence in the South."
Bedeski stresses that this week's historic meeting between the leaders of the embittered nations indicates a very preliminary stage in the path toward reunification. He says negotiations between the two are bound to go on for a long time, but could eventually lead to a major shift in the balance of power in East Asian politics.
"If you have North and South Korea unified it is going to be a very significant upper middle power in East Asian politics," says Bedeski. "Ultimately a unified Korean nation state will be a balance against Japan and a major player in North East Asia, so there is going to be a lot of re-arranging of post-World War II relations in Asia."
"The Chinese want to see the Americans out of Korea," says Bedeski. "If the threat of military action from the North is diminished, then there is no justification for the large American military presence in the South."
Bedeski stresses that this week's historic meeting between the leaders of the embittered nations indicates a very preliminary stage in the path toward reunification. He says negotiations between the two are bound to go on for a long time, but could eventually lead to a major shift in the balance of power in East Asian politics.
"If you have North and South Korea unified it is going to be a very significant upper middle power in East Asian politics," says Bedeski. "Ultimately a unified Korean nation state will be a balance against Japan and a major player in North East Asia, so there is going to be a lot of re-arranging of post-World War II relations in Asia."
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