U.S. Foreign Policy

Seoul has gradually adopted a more outspoken position regarding the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and framed it in increasingly expansive terms—as a regional and global…

The development of the concept of the Indo-Pacific strategy, since its adoption by the United States in 2017, has primarily been driven by the emergence of China as an object…

In 2020, Xi Jinping was on a roll. Donald Trump had left U.S. alliances in disarray and the home front in discord, unable even to unite against a pandemic. U.S.…

By Kathleen Stephens The second summit between President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un ended without an agreement. But the engagement provided insights into the negotiating positions and styles of both Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. KEI will continue to assess the implications of the Hanoi outcome. Here are some initial observations that we…

By Yonho Kim The United States and South Korea finally agreed on a preliminary cost-sharing deal on hosting U.S. Forces in South Korea (USFK), removing immediate uncertainty hovering over the alliance before the upcoming second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un. After 10 rounds of negotiations to conclude the 10th…

By Phil Eskeland Last Friday, an appellate body with the World Trade Organization (WTO) authorized South Korea to levy $85 million in tariffs on U.S. products as compensation for the improper way the U.S. calculated higher import duties on Korean-made large residential washing machines. While the sanctioned indemnity is not as large as Korea initially…

By Phil Eskeland Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted by a wide bipartisan margin for an amendment expressing opposition to a precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria and Afghanistan.  Nearly every Republican Senator and more than half of the Senate Democratic Conference supported this amendment.  This vote comes after confusing pronouncements from the Trump Administration…