Dr. Rajaram Panda
With Donald Trump’s return to a second term as American President, the issue of transactional relationship with the US alliance partners is likely to figure prominently at the Oval Office. This could mean demand for greater defence burden-sharing by its allies and security partners in East Asia – Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Trump could also demand Tokyo cough up more cash for hosting US troops, besides a renewed push for it to further jack up defense spending.
During most of the post-War years, Japan and South Korea remained stable US allies. That looks threatened during Trump’s second term. With a maverick and mercurial Trump at the Oval Office, Shigeru Ishiba heading a minority government in Japan and on the edge and political instability in South Korea following the short but misguided martial law promulgation by Yoon Suk-Yeol in South Korea, there seems to be a political paralysis leaving a leadership vacuum in the Indo-Pacific.
The previous leaders of the US and Japan, along with Yoon Suk-Yeol of South Korea (now in trouble) focused on strengthening alliances and regional stability through cooperation whereas Trump’s approach to foreign policy looks prioritising transactional relationship.
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