Confidence and Security-building on the Korean Peninsula and the Role of Switzerland
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Date
2021-06Type
- Report
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Abstract
The Korean conflict is one of the oldest security flashpoints with global implications. Among the directly involved parties, we find the world’s most prosperous economies and largest militaries. North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons adds a global dimension. This study brings attention to some of the under-researched levels of the Korean conflict that are at the same time essential in view of its future resolution. It highlights the sketchy nature of the security architecture on the Korean Peninsula and reflects on how the architecture could develop in the future. More specifically, the study analyzes the inter-Korean dimension of the conflict with a special focus on military confidence-building. While recent efforts in this area are promising, they take place in a situation of growing tensions in the wider Asian region. In 2018 during a period of rapprochement, the two Koreas concluded a military agreement, in which they consented to a variety of military confidence-building measures. Some of the measures were swiftly implemented and helped stabilize the situation at the inter-Korean border. However, the renewed deterioration of inter-Korean relations, starting in 2019, has negatively affected the advances made under the agreement. Still, not all of the advances have been reversed, and some of the political conditions that were favorable to the recent inter-Korean rapprochement remain in place.
The study also makes an inquiry into the possibility of a future peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and the related role of third state parties in it. European countries, most of which have held a minor role in Asia’s regional order in the post-World War II era, have started to seek ways of reengaging with the larger region, including with Northeast Asia. The study argues that Switzerland’s decades-long presence on the Korean Peninsula (as a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, NNSC) and its extensive, global experience as a neutral mediator in peace processes, puts it in a good position to play a constructive role in this world region whose geopolitical relevance is rapidly growing. NNSC states, including Switzerland, have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of military confidence-building, which they can share in a future peace process. Through their long-term institutional relations to the Korean Peninsula, they are well-positioned to facilitate such a process. The study also suggests that Switzerland has an interest in actively promoting discussions on the future of the NNSC and its own possible role in a future peace management system on the Korean Peninsula. Show more
Diese CSS Studie von Linda Maduz argumentiert, dass die Schweiz gut aufgestellt ist, um eine konstruktive Rolle auf der koreanischen Halbinsel zu spielen, deren geopolitische Bedeutung schnell wächst. Staaten der Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC), inklusive der Schweiz, verfügen über einen reichen Wissens- und Erfahrungsschatz im Bereich der militärischen Vertrauensbildung, den sie in einen zukünftigen Friedensprozess einbringen können. Die Studie legt auch nahe, dass die Schweiz ein Interesse daran hat, aktiv Diskussionen über die Zukunft des NNSC voranzutreiben und ihre mögliche eigene Rolle in einem zukünftigen Friedensmanagementsystem auf der koreanischen Halbinsel zu fördern. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000489863Publication status
publishedJournal / series
CSS StudiesPublisher
Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH ZürichSubject
Korean Peninsula; Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, NNSC; Confidence-building measures, CBMsOrganisational unit
03515 - Wenger, Andreas / Wenger, Andreas
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