Northeast Asia is unique. Only in this corner of the planet do the world's four great powers meet. It is the Koreans' curse that their peninsula is the focus of international competition. Europeans and Americans are relative newcomers to a struggle for control that has endured for hundreds of years. As Korea's former Foreign Minister Ro Myung Gong notes in "U.S.-Korea-Japan Relations: Building Toward a 'Virtual Alliance,' " 19th-century British policy planners regarded Korea as the Gibraltar of Northeast Asia. That mind-set drove governments throughout the 20th century and looks set to continue through the next.
The contest for power is most evident at the 38th parallel, the Cold War relic that divides the two Koreas. That border is considered by many to be the most dangerous spot on Earth.
There is yet another unique feature of the Northeast Asian political dynamic: the odd relations among three principal players, Japan, the United States and South Korea. While the three are allies, there is no formal relationship between Japan and South Korea. In fact, their relations seem to be colored more by animosity than cooperation. Yet the three governments are allies, and their future depends on their ability to overcome the past and create a "virtual alliance."