The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future
&#8220;An up-close, insightful portrait. . . .The Impossible Stateis a clearheaded, bold examination of North Korea and its future.&#8221; (Washington Post)&#8220;Essential reading for all North Korea watchers. . . . An informative and enjoyable read.&#8221; (Library Journal (starred review))&#8220;Cha demonstrates an intimate familiarity with the regime&#8217;s contradictions. . . . The thesis is clear: the world&#8217;s most closed-off state needs to open up to survive, but breaking its hermetic seal may well precipitate its demise.&#8221; (The New Yorker)&#8220;An eye-opening view of the closed, repressive dictatorship of North Korea. . . . A useful, pertinent work for understanding the human story behind the headlines.&#8221; (Kirkus Reviews)&#8220;A meaty, fast-paced portrait of North Korean society, economy, politics, and foreign policy by an expert who has studied the regime as a scholar and interacted with its officials.&#8221; (Foreign Affairs)&#8220;Ask those who deal with national security what worries them most and at the top of the list or near it you&#8217;ll always find North Korea, a place about which we know little to nothing. That&#8217;s why Victor Cha&#8217;s book is so valuable.&#8221; (Bob Schieffer, CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent)&#8220;The Impossible Stateis provocative, frightening, and never more relevant than today as an untested new leader takes charge of the world&#8217;s most unpredictable nuclear power.&#8221; (Andrea Mitchell, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent)