Nuclearization of Small States and World Order: The Case of Korea

Abstract

world order. In spite of a good deal of research on nuclear proliferation, this topic has not been focused upon clearly or, perhaps, has been under a taboo. This is not surprising since most research on nuclear proliferation has been implicitly or explicitly centered on national interests of nuclear superpowers or near-nuclear countries. The real dilemma of nuclear proliferation, however, cannot be fully understood and explained from this perspective, as can be seen in the conflicting arguments on the proliferation problem between nuclear-weapon states and near-nuclear countries. On the other hand, the analysis of the impact of nuclear proliferation on world order from a global perspective will give some new insights into this problem. Furthermore, it is also significant that this effort could be an essential first step for the study of the control or management of nuclear proliferation for the preferred world order. This study will analyze the case of Korea to evaluate the utility of small nuclear forces for the more relevant utopia of future world order. Northeast Asia is one of the few places that reveal most clearly the major characteristics of the present world order. Thus this study will seek to determine the degree of impact of the possible nuclearization of Korea on world order, and will address the following specific topics: