America's Retreat from Global Stage Continues Under Trump
In a recent foreign policy move, Commander Donald J. Trump ordered Pentagon troops to “substantially reduce” long standing military exercises with South Korea, which were instituted in 1955 in response to the ongoing North Korean threat to its southern neighbor. Steadfast U.S. support of South Korea has had substantial bi-partisan support since the Eisenhower administration and has been an important plank in the South Sea Asian-U.S. policy in containing both the threat posed by North Korea and China. While rethinking long-standing policy orientations can be an effective strategic exercise, Trump’s impulsive move was anything but that. It was too late for the Pentagon to eliminate annual summer exercises this year, which is Trump’s stated intent for upcoming years. In making this initial move, strategist, Trump is in danger of threatening the long-standing alliances the U.S. has had with South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. In so doing, this could cause the former two countries to initiate t...