Four University of Wisconsin professors collaborated in an effort to understand the historical context and the recent events leading up to current turmoil in East Asia and the possible implications on the United States in a faculty panel Thursday night.
History professor Jeremi Suri, Korean history professor Charles Kim, and Director of the East Asian Legal Studies Center John Ohnesorge shared their thoughts and expertise on the most recent clash between North and South Korea in addition to taking questions from students and community members.
Ohnesorge began the program by describing the measures taken by both the U.S. and China in reaction to the situation and his take on the problems for both countries.
“I think this situation is a bigger problem for China. I think they are finding themselves in the same situation the U.S. has been in before with other countries in that they want to support North Korea, but they can’t necessarily control them,” Ohnesorge said.
Kim then spoke on the history of conflicts between the two Koreas, and the relationship the U.S. has had in diplomacy between the two countries.
He highlighted the Korean War, postwar conflicts and the summit between North and South Korea in 2000, but said since the Bush administration peace relations between the U.S., South Korea and North Korea has returned to the Korean War era relations.
He also said it should be no surprise that the four major players in the Korean War, which includes the U.S., the Koreas and China, are also the only major players driving this situation, and we need different solutions if this will be stopped.
“This conflict is foundational and fundamental for [North and South Korea]. It’s going to require some really different sorts of action to break out of these patterns of conflict,” Kim said. “We have been too reactive to North Korea’s attacks instead of being proactive.”
Suri spoke on his thoughts of the conflict in terms of international policy and relations.
He said while this is a classic case of an unstable regime, it is important to understand the complexity of the situation and there is no optimal solution for everyone.
Suri also elaborated while many people have taken misguided action in approaching the conflicts between North and South Korea, North Korea does not deserve the same respect as other involved nations, as “they have not only been irresponsible, but also a major threat to many nations and have made it clear that they do not want peace.”
Suri also said discussions are important in understanding these issues.
“It’s really great to have colleagues with so many areas of expertise talking about this to help understand these situations,” Suri said.
Senior Mark White said he attended the event for a class, but also thinks it is important to understand the background of major world conflicts.
“We can’t just focus on things going on here. Events like these help give people a solid understanding and a backdrop to issues going on around the world,” he said.
