Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea

Abstract

More than 60 years after North Korea invaded South Korea, the first major hot war of the Cold War has yet to end. Today, the essentially continuous war between the Koreas threatens to reach beyond their borders, as North Korea continues to develop nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. How did we get to this point? This talk broadly traces the story of Korean competition and conflict -- and Great Power competition and conflict -- over the peninsula: an unending war between two "brothers" with ramifications for the rest of the world. Is a resolution to the conflict is ever to be found, this history must be understood and taken into account.