While the Cold War is over in the rest of the world, a potentially deadly confrontation continues on the bitterly divided peninsula of Korea, where two of the world's largest armies - along with 37,000 U.S. troops - face each other across the misnamed "demilitarized zone," ready to resume fighting on a moment's notice. Here the United States would be instantly involved in any new outbreak of violence.

Below the dividing line, which was established by the great powers at the end of World War II, South Korea has developed a fractious democracy and one of the world's most vibrant economies. Above the line lies reclusive North Korea, the most closed society on earth, locked in its unique brand of communist Confucianism, militarily powerful but bereft of its former communist allies and unable to feed its people.

The struggle between the two Koreas has repeatedly claimed the headlines of the world in acts of terrorism and heroism, showdowns over nuclear weapons programs on both sides of the lines, the sudden deaths of leaders, and historic turning points in the relationship with the outside powers of the United States, Japan, Russia, and China. Yet the news from and about contemporary Korea has been marked by a remarkable absence of historical context, background, or basis for understanding.

The Two Koreas is the definitive and compelling answer to this gap.