[ISSUE TALK] South Korea-U.S. alliance at risk after Trump declares America no longer policeman of the world
For more we have with us Dr. James Kim, a research fellow from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
1 - This trip Trump took to Iraq came very much as a surprise, especially considering he has never visited U.S. troops in war zones. There has been much analysis of why he decided to take this trip now, and what he was trying to achieve, but why do you think he made this visit?
2 - During his trip he said that the U.S. cannot continue to be the "policeman of the world", especially as it is not fair for U.S. to take all the burden. Can you explain how different this policy is from previous administrations?
3 - Why do you think Trump believes this is necessary, and what effects could it have for America's position in the world?
4 - Trump seems to be showing determination to really follow through on this policy shift, and especially with pulling out troops from Syria. Do you think it will go ahead?
5 - This announcement, that the U.S. will no longer be the policemen of the world, has broader implications as well, even here in South Korea, because currently Seoul and Washington are in negotiations over a new deal for the cost-sharing of U.S. troops on the Korean peninsula. Trump has many times called for South Korea and other countries to pay more. How much pressure do Trump's latest comments and actions put on the negotiations for the cost-sharing burden in Korea?
6 - Reports have emerged that Washington has asked for a new 1-year deal, rather than the previous 5. Seoul is yet to reject it, but would that not be a bad deal for Seoul?
7 - Concerns are further exacerbated because two key figures who were said to have been the few remaining voices of reason in the White House, Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have both left their posts in the last month. Without these kinds of voices explaining the importance of the U.S. presence in South Korea and the surrounding regions, does that raise the risk that Trump really will go ahead and pull troops out here as well?
8 - Any gap in the South Korea-U.S. alliance is alarming because despite relations with North Korea improving this year, the North is still a threat. A report came out on Thursday which said that although no missile launches or nuclear tests were performed this year, evidence suggests the North has moved on to mass production rather than research and development and that Kim Jong-un could have 100 nuclear warheads by 2020. How important is it to have a U.S. presence on the Korean Peninsula?
9 - What can Seoul do? What cards does it hold, or is there overwhelming pressure to give Trump what he wants?