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On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and the Threat of Nuclear War

by Van Jackson (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
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In 2017, the world watched as President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traded personal insults and escalating threats of nuclear war amid unprecedented shows of military force. Former Pentagon insider and Korean security expert Van Jackson traces the origins of the first American nuclear crisis in the post-Cold War era, and explains the fragile, highly unpredictable way that it ended. Jackson analyzes the US response to North Korea's increasing nuclear threat in the context of Trump's aggressive rhetoric, prior US policy failures, the geopolitics of East Asia, North Korean strategic culture and the acceleration of its nuclear program. Jackson argues that the Trump administration's policy of 'maximum pressure' brought the world much closer to inadvertent nuclear war than many realize - and charts a course for the prevention of future conflicts.
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  1. ISBN-10
    1108473482
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1108473484
  3. Publisher
    Cambridge University Press
  4. Publication date
    November 29, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  7. Print length
    248 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Van Jackson has written an insightful, detailed, and frightening history of the Korean nuclear crisis. It is like a thriller with the sequel yet to be written. Readers will understand both how deeply dangerous the past few years have been and how many nuclear dangers remain lurking just over the horizon." --Scott D. Sagan, author of The Limits of Safety

"On the Brink is a smart, readable explanation of the nuclear crisis of 2017--one that explains how Washington and Pyongyang found themselves on a collision course and one that offers sage advice about managing the risk of nuclear war in the future." --Jeffrey Lewis, Publisher of ArmsControlWonk.com and author of The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks against the United States: A Speculative Novel

"On the Brink is a timely, serious, and substantive treatment of a perennial national security problem for the United States. Jackson successfully weaves theory, history, and policy into a book that makes every reader smarter on North Korea. Recommended reading not just for experts, but for general audiences." --Victor Cha, D.S. Song-KF Professor, Georgetown University and former National Security Council director for Japan, Korea, Australia, and Pacific Island affairs

"With a deep sense of history, Van Jackson has given us a vital record of a near-disaster. Vigorous, wise, and highly informed, On the Brink decodes the theatrics and leaves the lessons inescapably clear for future generations." --Evan Osnos, author of The Age of Ambition

"A history that's as illuminating for the policymaker as it is for the informed citizen. If you want to know how close the world came to nuclear war in 2017--and how to avoid it in the future--this is a must-read."--Admiral James Stavridis, USN, Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe

"Van Jackson provides an excellent scholar-practitioner's guide to the history of US-North Korean misunderstanding and mutual hostility. He provides a clarion call regarding the scope and magnitude of the danger that surrounded the Trump administration's efforts to grapple for the first time with vulnerability to North Korean nuclear capabilities." --Scott Snyder, author of South Korea at the Crossroads

"A terrific and terrifying story of bumbling into a nuclear crisis because of unrealistic goals and a failure to understand North Korea. Van Jackson, a fine scholar of Korean affairs, has written a remarkable history that anyone wishing to avoid nuclear war-or make sense of North Korea-should read." --Robert Edwin Kelly, Pusan National University

Book Description

Former Pentagon insider Van Jackson explores how Trump and Kim reached - and avoided - the precipice of nuclear war.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press (November 29, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1108473482
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1108473484
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

About the author

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Van Jackson

Van Jackson

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Dr. Van Jackson is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington, and a Senior Research Scholar at Security in Context, where he is also Co-Director of the “Multipolarity, Great-power Competition, and the Global South” project. Additionally, he concurrently holds think tank appointments as a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, as the Defence & Strategy Fellow at the Centre for Strategic Studies in Wellington, New Zealand, and as a Senior Fellow in the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation & Disarmament. He is the host of the acclaimed Un-Diplomatic Podcast, and author of the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter. Prior to joining Victoria University, Dr. Jackson taught at Hawaii Pacific University, the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University and the Catholic University of America. He has also held fellowships with the Council on Foreign Relations, CNAS, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Pacific Forum CSIS. Although he writes, researches, and speaks about a wide range of topics--from defense strategy to progressive foreign policy and international relations theory--he is originally known as an expert on Korean affairs. See his official site for more details: www.vanjackson.org

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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Customers find the book provides helpful insights into North Korean officials and relations. They describe it as an excellent read for those serving in Korea and for laymen who are interested in the topic.

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Customers appreciate the book's insights into North Korean officials and relations. They find it helpful for illustrating some of the basics.

"...in international relations, this book was incredible helpful for illustrating some of the basics...." Read more

"...Dr. Jackson offers some great insights into how North Korean officials channel military provocations into their foreign policy agendas, which is..." Read more

"...Dr. Jackson provides an insightful analysis of the recent nuclear crisis and shows how close we were to a nuclear conflict...." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read. They say it's a must-read for anyone serving in Korea and good for laymen and Korea watchers alike.

"This is simply a must-read for any Korea Hand or those serving in Korea...." Read more

"Good for laymen and Korea-watchers alike..." Read more

"An excellent read..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Samantha
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good for laymen and Korea-watchers alike
    Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    As I begin to dabble in international relations, this book was incredible helpful for illustrating some of the basics. And although I'm a Korea-watcher myself, I appreciated Dr. Jackson's laying out of North Korean brinksmanship and strategy in laymen's terms. The book was also instrumental in filling in some of the holes in my memory, since I was taking a hiatus from Korea-watching during this time period.

    It’s nearly impossible for me to characterize Dr. Jackson’s account as scathing because he presents it in a fairly neutral and objective tone. But he manages to skillfully weave in direct quotes from administration officials and senior leadership that make his point without him having to add personal commentary that could be alleged to be biased. I also found it invaluable that while critical of the maximum pressure strategy, Dr. Jackson confronts the fact that a Clinton election would have likely produced a similar, if not the same, result. He also fairly presented the facts that it was preceding presidents who had failed to address this problem before it was dumped in Trump’s lap.

    My only critique was that there was some rough repetition of phrases and themes, for which I fault an editor more than anyone else. As a former editor, I have an eye for that sort of thing, so it may not bother anyone else.

    I’m a bit embarrassed it took me this long to finish it, but I’m pleased, and would recommend it for anyone who wasn’t dutifully tracking the unfolding of this nuclear crisis.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • dsf
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read
    Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book revisits the tumultuous history of US-DPRK hostilities relating to the DPRK nuclear program in a way that is both comprehensible and illuminating. Dr. Jackson offers some great insights into how North Korean officials channel military provocations into their foreign policy agendas, which is important for understanding not only the 2017 crisis, but for all real and possible acts of military violence by the DPRK. Dr. Jackson also pays close attention to how domestic politics in the US and ROK have kneecapped the nuclear negotiations, adding yet another means to understand how such crises manifest.

    I would recommend this book to anyone who hopes to understand why North Korea pursues nuclear weapons, why it behaves aggressively, and why North Korea's nuclear program is such a thorn in the side of the United States.
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  • Johnny
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hands down the best book on the 2017-2018 Nuclear Crisis in Korea
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This is simply a must-read for any Korea Hand or those serving in Korea. Dr. Jackson provides an insightful analysis of the recent nuclear crisis and shows how close we were to a nuclear conflict. This book would also be an excellent source for courses with case studies in diplomacy, deterrence, and brinkmanship. Highly recommend!
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Matt Squeri
    5.0 out of 5 stars An accessible, timely first draft of history only a practitioner-scholar could write
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2019
    On the Brink is an engaging, accessible read that sheds insight throughout on the specter of nuclear crisis between the United States and North Korea. It's also brave in that it attempts a first draft of history on a topic much in the news even as we are still living it. While avoiding glib cliches about the leaders primarily responsible - Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un - it simultaneously shows how individuals and choices matter without downplaying the very real ways enduring interests and strategic cultures shape crises. In doing so, it does more justice to how crises operate in the real world than the typical academic analysis, journalistic treatment, or memoir. That's because On The Brink is a little bit of each of those, a book only Dr. Jackson - a scholar and former Pentagon staffer - could have written. Come for the sober (and sobering) articulation of the pathways to war, stay for the practical insights policymakers can use to deal with a situation that will continue to offer few good options.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Aman Thakker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic primer on the 2017 North Korea Crisis
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2019
    Dr. Van Jackson has knocked it out of the park with this book. It's an absolutely fantastic book if you want to learn more about the the underlying issues in U.S.-DPRK relations towards to the end of the Obama Presidency, the crisis precipitated by the rhetoric and insults traded between President Trump and Kim Jong-Un, and how many of the issues that led to crisis remain unaddressed. Van's expertise on this subject, through his time in the military, at the Pentagon, and in academia, makes this book truly a must-read.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Lachlan Colquhoun
    5.0 out of 5 stars Smart, well informed, prescient, yet accessible - not your typical wonkery
    Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2019
    Reading On The Brink it is easy to see why Dr Jackson is an academic rockstar. His writing is so accessible for those who arent experts, but it involves a depth and rigour of analysis that is usually much harder to wade through. If you're an interested observer of what is happening in North Korea (and we all should be!) this is a must read. A good companion is also his short documentary "The Nuclear Button".
    2 people found this helpful
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  • brand
    5.0 out of 5 stars A terrifying must-read for All
    Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2018
    I spend a lot of time in Seoul South Korea, and have studied Human Rights in both Koreas and learned a lot from this book. This book is a must read for not just scholars and policy makers around the world but the average citizen. It is terrifying how close the we were to nuclear war in 2017.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • L and M
    1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
    Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2022
    It seems to follow a political narrative with a lot of speculation
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