KOREAN SECURITY DYNAMICS IN TRANSITION, edited by Park Kyung-Ae and Kim Dalchoon. New York, Hampshire: Palgrave, 2001, 209 pp., $45.00 (cloth)

The euphoria that followed the historic inter-Korean summit in June 2000 has worn off. North Korea's peek-a-boo diplomacy -- now you see us, now you don't -- has left the world wondering what has truly changed on the Korean Peninsula. The title of this book leaves no doubt that its contributors see permanent change. Frustrations notwithstanding -- and they will always be present -- the Korean Peninsula is "in transition."

The case isn't too hard to make. Kenneth Quinones, a former U.S. foreign service officer who has worked extensively on Northeast Asia, focuses on the diplomatic relationship between the two Koreas that has emerged -- one that is sometimes forgotten amid the day-to-day setbacks that dominate the headlines. "In spite of impressive obstacles, South and North Korea have been able to gradually build a dialogue that has become increasingly substantive and productive. . . . The general trend is one of shortened hiatus between periods of dialogue and longer periods of increasingly intense engagement. Each new start has built upon the accomplishments of the previous phase, gradually broadening the common ground between the two Koreas."

Just as important is the convergence of interests among the great regional powers that are also involved. The United States, China, Japan and Russia all see the Peninsula as a site for strategic cooperation rather than competition. Beijing and Moscow may pander to Pyongyang to maximize their influence, but all the concerned governments, including Seoul, share the same goals. None want to see North Korea become a declared nuclear power, none want it to go to war, nor do they want it to collapse. The optimal solution is a gradual diplomatic opening, slow economic reform, a settling of the nuclear question and a decrease in tensions on the Peninsula. That is a substantial foundation for cooperation.