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Korean Attitudes toward the United States: Changing Dynamics. Edited by DAVID I. STEINBERG. Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, 2005. xxxiv, 366 pp. $72.95 (cloth); $28.95 (paper).
The term "anti-Americanism" is one of the major buzzwords in the American unipolar age. History indicates that power inevitably invites responses, but it also cautions that the kind of responses are in important ways what the hegemonic power in world politics makes of them. Many have regarded the preeminence of American power since the end of the cold war as a source of optimism and stability, but others have criticized it as dangerous and disagreeable. As a collection of scholarly essays by serious scholars and journalists, Korean Attitudes toward the United States: Changing Dynamics offers rich insights into and sophisticated understandings of the anti-American sentiment in the Korean context.
As stated in the introduction, the main purpose of this publication is to examine the nature and complexities of the anti-American sentiment in Korea and its influence on the bilateral security alliance between Korea and the United States. Even though this publication focuses on the Korean case, it has ample potential to appeal to general readers who are interested in the American century from different regional, historical, and political perspectives. This is largely due to Korea's unique background. According to a poll conducted in 2003, Korea ranks as the only non-Muslim country harboring decidedly strong anti-American sentiment. For the last fifty years, the country has been one of the most stalwart military allies of the United States. Since 1987 Korea has been undeterred in its endeavor toward democratic consolidation and economic liberalization. Considering these factors and making sense of a rising antiAmerican sentiment in Korea-a non-Muslim, non-European country with a prosperous and globalizing economy, an American ally facing threats from nuclear North Korea, and a vibrant democracy-will be a useful intellectual exercise for both those who advocate as well as those who dispute the "clash of civilizations," the rise and fall of security alliances, the politics of nationalism and national identity, and the notion that the "spread of democracy" will make the world a safer place.
The book contains nineteen chapters divided into four thematic sections. Thanks to this division, it...