Korean War

Wada Haruki is emeritus professor and former director of the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo.

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsRomanization and Expression of NamesPreface to the Updated Edition: The Korean War and the Danger of a New Northeast Asia WarPreface: The Korean War: Its Origins and LegacyIntroduction: The Korean War: Its Origins and LegacyChapter 1: Two States and Unification by Force Chapter 2: North Korea Goes to War Chapter 3: Attack Chapter 4: US-ROK Forces Reach the Yalu and China Enters the WarChapter 5: Fighting while Negotiating Chapter 6: The Third Year Chapter 7: The Armistice Chapter 8: Postwar Northeast Asia NotesBibliography IndexAbout the Author

Western historians often view the Korean War through the prism of the Cold War, which can reduce Koreans, north and south, into players and pawns on a much larger chessboard. This excellent work by a Japanese historian reminds readers that it was Koreans who bore the brunt of the suffering, fighting, and dying. In its origins and in the initial phase of the Korean conflict, it was a civil war, triggered by the ambitions of two contemptible 'leaders.' In the North, Kim Il Sung had already begun imposing a brutal, totalitarian regime. In the south, Syngman Rhee, proclaimed by some Americans as a democratic champion, was a highly authoritarian and inflexible politician. Both men were determined to unite their nation by military force. Following the North Korean invasion and the American intervention, the war was internationalized, and [Wada] eloquently recounts the roles played by political and military leaders on both sides. His description of the peace negotiations is particularly riveting as American negotiators were as frustrated by their South Korean allies as they were by their opponents. This fine rendering of the conflict provides an important perspective on an unresolved war.