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The Korea Times

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Columnists

Lee Jong-eun

For Russia, China is neither a 'big bad wolf' nor a 'fairy godmother'

This month, while the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit was being held, the Global Times, an English-language Chinese newspaper, published an op-ed describing Russia-China relations. The op-ed dismissed predictions of Russia being devoured by the “big bad wolf” and hopes of the country being rescued by the “fairy godmother” as both fairy tale fantasies.

2022-09-28 17:59

International stability sometimes requires foreign policy ambiguities and contradictions

In international relations, political actors' ambiguous, inconsistent behaviors are frequent subjects of debates and controversies. To some critics, U.S. President Joe Biden's recent Saudi Arabia visit to request the latter's cooperation in the global energy market contradicted his administration's pledge to counter autocracy and advocate human rights as core foreign policy values.

2022-08-28 16:56

Which side does time favor in a geopolitical conflict?

In 1947, in the early days of the Cold War, U.S. diplomat George Kennan wrote a policy document proposing recommendations for a U.S. Cold War strategy. Kennan articulated that a long-term, patient “containment” against Soviet expansion would force the Soviet Union eventually to “break up” or “gradually mellow.” Kennan's proposals became the basis for the U.S. containment strategy, and the eventual break-up of the USSR bolstered confidence in the West that “time is on our side.”

2022-07-27 16:12

Liberal world order faces old dilemma: To share or to divide world

This month marks the Korean War's 72nd anniversary, a key defining event in the Cold War. Years ago, when I first read, “The Origins of the Korean War” written by U.S. historian Bruce Cumings, I was intrigued by his comparisons of U.S. Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

2022-06-28 17:00

Biden's Taiwan comments reveal US strategic dilemma in East Asia

Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden visited East Asia, holding a series of summits with the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the member states of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). The summits addressed multiple agendas, one of which was approaches toward China. Is the U.S. alliance in the Indo-Pacific committed only to defending the existing regional order? Or does the alliance also seek a revision of the geopolitical status quo?

2022-06-07 16:21

Yoon's inaugural speech on freedom and anti-intellectualism

As South Korea often looks to the U.S. as a political model, it is common for South Korean political conservatives to seek policy lessons from their U.S. counterparts. Inspired by the economic policies of U.S. conservatives, a growing number of South Korean conservative policymakers have advocated for “pro-market” policies such as business deregulation and a flexible labor market.

2022-05-17 16:55

Paradox of South Korean politics: One-sided pragmatism in foreign policy

For South Korea, the two neighboring countries often described as “close, yet distant” are North Korea and Japan. Despite sharing a common ethnicity and heritage, the ideological differences and the legacy of the Korean War have stood as barriers between the two Koreas, with many in South Korea viewing the North even today as a “jujeok,” a primary enemy.

2022-05-04 16:33

Lessons from Reagan administration for Korea's new president

A major political party was left in political disarray after the resignation of its scandal-ridden president. The succeeding president from a different party, who began his term promising accountability at home and moral diplomacy abroad, then faced criticism for a domestic economic recession and perceptions of weaknesses in foreign policy.

2022-03-31 16:18

How Ukraine crisis could derail US-China strategic competition

Multiple international analysts have predicted that the Asia-Pacific region will be the likely location of a “new Cold War.” With the rise of China, policy experts have applied theoretical concepts such as the “Thucydides Trap” to warn of the inevitable strategic rivalry between existing and rising superpowers, the United States and China.

2022-02-28 16:17

Russia-Ukraine conflict presents a window of strategic opportunity for North Korea

A year into his presidency, the U.S. Biden administration has yet to catch a break facing one global challenge after another. With the start of 2022, the United States confronts the escalation of military tensions between Ukraine and Russia.

2022-01-27 17:00

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