Korea Policy Vol. 3, Issue 1

Korea Policy Volume 3 Issue 1 - Full Version

Introduction: Recalibration in South Korea and the Indo-Pacific

South Korea is hardly alone in facing the uncertainties of the new Trump administration. Moreover, it is impossible to consider South Korea’s response to Trump’s foreign policy without considering how other countries might also respond, given that they constitute important partners for South Korea as well.   In the first part…

Perils of U.S. Illiberal Retrenchment: South Korea’s Perspective on Indo-Pacific Recalibration

The return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House in 2025 has brought a renewed emphasis on “America First” foreign policy, marked by a strategic retrenchment that challenges the postwar liberal international order. This approach threatens U.S. alignment with democratic allies and reconfigures the geopolitical landscape into spheres…

Adjusting to a New Scary World: U.S. Retrenchment and Japan’s Deepening Dilemma

The U.S. presidential election marked the beginning of a new era of retrenchment. The new Donald Trump administration, inaugurated in January 2025, has swiftly shifted U.S. priorities to emphasize domestic issues while reshaping the global order. The U.S. government now favors transactional and zero-sum relations with other countries, including allies…

Recalibration in the Indo-Pacific: An Australian Perspective

Australia and South Korea are U.S.-aligned middle powers increasingly engaging in direct bilateral and multilateral cooperation, even independent of U.S. facilitation or encouragement. This shift is driven by the convergence of global factors, including climate change, governance breakdowns, great power competition, and technological disruption. Deeper collaboration among these like-minded states…

Vietnam’s Navigation of the Second Trump Administration

The second Donald Trump administration’s policy reversals are undermining three decades of U.S.-Vietnam reconciliation and cooperation, thereby weakening the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. As Vietnam seeks greater strategic space to maintain autonomy amid intensifying great power competition, the country will likely double down on its principles-based foreign policy and efforts to…