People who have traveled to South Korea perhaps know of a large area in Seoul called the Yong San District, where the US military headquarters in South Korea is located. But most tourists probably don't know that this piece of land has not been used by South Koreans for over a 100 years.
More than a century ago, the area was a boot camp for Yuan Shih-kai (
Given this background, it's not difficult to understand why US President George W. Bush's visit to South Korea has been met with vehement protests by hundreds of demonstrators, mostly radical students and farmers. Bush's inclusion of North Korea in his "axis of evil" has helped stoke the flames of anti-US sentiment in the south.
US strategic interests in Northeast Asia have been hampered by President Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine Policy" -- including the June 2000 Korea Summit. This is why Bush has adopted a tough policy line vis-a-vis North Korea since he took office. But South Korea faces a difficult choice between national security and nationalism. The challenge for the US is to redefine its strategic interests with regard to the stalemate between North and South Korea and create a new security balance in the region.
Both South Koreans and Americans should try harder to remember their joint history. Many South Koreans appear to have forgotten that if it were not for US military protection, their nation might have been "liberated" long ago by North Korea -- or reduced to ruin by a long-running war. Where would the political and economic achievements they enjoy today have come from if it had not been for the US intervention against Pyongyang's military offensive?
For its part, the US seems to easily forget that the peoples of countries hosting its military bases have feelings and desires that do not necessarily overlap with Washington's. As a result, the US has frequently been insensitive to the nationalistic sentiments and too often relied on Cold War strategy when dealing with complex Asian affairs.
Today, the Cold War still exists in Asia. Both China and North Korea pose serious threats to the security of East Asia -- clearly demonstrated by China lobbing missiles into the sea off Taiwan's coast in 1995 and 1996 and the jingoistic policies favored by both Beijing and Pyongyang.
Under these circumstances, the US has every reason to retain its military presence in Asia. If there was no US protective umbrella, there would be no country in China's vicinity that could truly stand independent and sovereign, able to focus on developing its democracy and economy. The people of South Korea should not lower their guard simply because they dream of a detente with North Korea. Neither should they demand that the US military withdraw from the Korean Peninsula or refuse to accept its international responsibility in maintaining security in Northeast Asia.
For its part, in its role as international cop, the US needs to show more concern for the people it protects. Only then can the value of the US military presence in Asia be acknowledged.
Because much of what former US president Donald Trump says is unhinged and histrionic, it is tempting to dismiss all of it as bunk. Yet the potential future president has a populist knack for sounding alarums that resonate with the zeitgeist — for example, with growing anxiety about World War III and nuclear Armageddon. “We’re a failing nation,” Trump ranted during his US presidential debate against US Vice President Kamala Harris in one particularly meandering answer (the one that also recycled urban myths about immigrants eating cats). “And what, what’s going on here, you’re going to end up in World War
Earlier this month in Newsweek, President William Lai (賴清德) challenged the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to retake the territories lost to Russia in the 19th century rather than invade Taiwan. He stated: “If it is for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t [the PRC] take back the lands occupied by Russia that were signed over in the treaty of Aigun?” This was a brilliant political move to finally state openly what many Chinese in both China and Taiwan have long been thinking about the lost territories in the Russian far east: The Russian far east should be “theirs.” Granted, Lai issued
On Sept. 2, Elbridge Colby, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal called “The US and Taiwan Must Change Course” that defends his position that the US and Taiwan are not doing enough to deter the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from taking Taiwan. Colby is correct, of course: the US and Taiwan need to do a lot more or the PRC will invade Taiwan like Russia did against Ukraine. The US and Taiwan have failed to prepare properly to deter war. The blame must fall on politicians and policymakers
Gogoro Inc was once a rising star and a would-be unicorn in the years prior to its debut on the NASDAQ in 2022, as its environmentally friendly technology and stylish design attracted local young people. The electric scooter and battery swapping services provider is bracing for a major personnel shakeup following the abrupt resignation on Friday of founding chairman Horace Luke (陸學森) as chief executive officer. Luke’s departure indicates that Gogoro is sinking into the trough of unicorn disillusionment, with the company grappling with poor financial performance amid a slowdown in demand at home and setbacks in overseas expansions. About 95