Trilateral Cooperation Under the Trump Administration: Challenges and Opportunities
ByAlex Soohoon Lee [Associate Research Fellow, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses]
▶Trump and Trilateral Cooperation:The Trump administration’s approach to ROK-US-Japan cooperation will likely depend on his strategic priorities, potentially emphasizing institutionalization and alignment with an "America First" Indo-Pacific Strategy.
▶Challenges Ahead:Diverging national objectives, Trump's skepticism of multilateralism, and viewing trilateral efforts as a Biden legacy may hinder progress.
▶Opportunities for Leadership:Strengthened institutional frameworks and proactive leadership by ROK, including establishing a trilateral secretariat, could sustain and expand cooperation.
