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| Evans Revere, former acting U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. |
By Evans Revere
You have painted a timely, troubling and vivid portrait of the way the U.S.-ROK alliance and the image of the United States have changed, together with a disturbing picture of where the alliance may be headed.
I was particularly struck by your description of the way that Seoul's "declaration of independence" from the U.S.-led Northeast Asia Security architecture could lead to the unraveling of the alliance. I share that concern.
My only quibble with your column is the title. There are many Americans who "get it." They include strong supporters of the alliance like me and my former government colleagues, as well as the many colleagues who remain in government and who are trying to contend with the implications of Trump's anti-alliance beliefs and his over-the-top and self-defeating approach to burden-sharing and his hope to turn the U.S. military into "guns for hire" or mercenaries.
Trump's approach is a gift to the hard left in Korea, to North Korea, to the Chinese and others who long for the end of the U.S.-ROK alliance. The U.S. President has a strange notion about who America's friends are.
