Ramon Pacheco Pardo’s mastery of South Korea and South Korea’s grand strategy are well presented in this book. A must for all who want to see how South Korea has achieved autonomy and freedom of action in approaching the world. -- Sung-han Kim, former South Korean national security adviser Ramon Pacheco Pardo’s new book South Korea’s Grand Strategy is an outstanding assessment of the country’s remarkable journey to become an influential and respected middle power. This book is required reading for those who study South Korean foreign policy as well as scholars of grand strategy. -- Terence Roehrig, author of Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella: Deterrence After the Cold War In South Korea’s Grand Strategy, Ramon Pacheco Pardo offers a theoretically compelling and empirically rich account explaining how a small, initially inward-looking country developed a formidable grand strategy. Scholars and practitioners interested in grand strategy, foreign policy, East Asian affairs and South Korean politics will benefit greatly from this book. -- Andrew Yeo, Brookings Institution This is an incredibly useful book that illuminates how South Korea thinks about its place in the world, what it aspires to achieve, and how it pursues its objectives. With its lucid and comprehensive presentation of South Korea as an international actor, the book is an excellent text for students and researchers alike. -- Ji-Young Lee, American University South Korea’s Grand Strategy makes some important points, and while more suited to academics and policymakers than general readers, it provides a broad context to the thinking of its leaders as well as a useful historical overview. ― Asian Review of Books In this remarkable book, South Korea’s Grand Strategy: Making Its Own Destiny, Ramon Pacheco Pardo pushes the boundaries of the study of grand strategy by applying it to middle powers... a terrific contribution to the literature on grand strategy, middle powers, and South Korea in particular that will serve as a reference for years to come. -- Yves Tiberghien ― Asia Policy With South Korea’s Grand Strategy: Making Its Own Destiny, Ramon Pacheco Pardo has written a pathbreaking, scholarly book that explains comprehensively, systematically, and persuasively why South Korea has swiftly emerged as a middle power shaping its own future -- Lam Peng E ― Asia Policy An excellent contribution to the literature on South Korean strategic thinking. ― Foreign Policy

Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Grand Strategy of Middle Powers 2. Historical Background, 1948?1987 3. South Koreaes Grand Strategy: Factors, Ends, and Means 4. Triangular Core: Inter-Korean Relations, the U.S. Alliance, and Chinaes Rise 5. East Asia: Regionalism and Regionalization 6. Greater Eurasia and the Indian Ocean 7. The Rest of the World and Global Governance Conclusion: The Past, Present, and Future of South Koreaes Grand Strategy Notes Index