Overview

"The alliance between the United States and South Korea has endured through seven decades of shifting regional and geopolitical security contexts. Yet it now faces challenges from within. Domestic political turmoil, including deepening political polarization and rising nationalism in both countries, has cast doubt on the alliance's viability-with critical implications for the balance of power in East Asia. Scott A. Snyder provides an authoritative overview of the internal and external pressures on the U.S.–South Korea alliance and explores its future prospects. He argues that nationalist leaders' accession to power could put past successes at risk and endanger the national security objectives of both countries. In the United States, ""America first"" nationalism favors self-interest over cooperation and portrays allies as burdens or even free riders. ""Korea first"" sentiments, in both progressive and conservative forms, present the U.S. military presence in South Korea as an obstacle to Korean reconciliation or a shackle on South Korea's freedom of action. Snyder also examines North Korea's attempts to influence South Korean domestic politics and how China's growing strength has affected the dynamics of the alliance. He considers scenarios in which the U.S.–South Korea relationship weakens or crumbles, emphasizing the consequences for the region and the world. Drawing on this analysis, Snyder offers timely recommendations for stakeholders in both countries on how to preserve and strengthen the alliance."

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9780231208697

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Reviews

Scott Snyder is the leading scholar in the country on the U.S.–South Korea alliance. There is much to learn from this latest installment of his histories, but the overall theme is particularly compelling: that political polarization at home—and on both sides—poses risks to the alliance. -- Stephan Haggard, author of <i>Developmental States</i> Scott Snyder's book is a bracing reminder that a U.S.-South Korea alliance cannot be taken for granted. Especially timely is Snyder's detailed discussion of the impact of political polarization, populism and nationalism in both countries on the future of the alliance. He makes a convincing case for why the alliance continues to matter, more than ever, and how to ensure its vitality going forward. -- Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Korea

Scott Snyder is the leading scholar in the country on the U.S.–South Korea alliance. There is much to learn from this latest installment of his histories, but the overall theme is particularly compelling: that political polarization at home—and on both sides—poses risks to the alliance. -- Stephan Haggard, author of <i>Developmental States</i>

Scott Snyder is the leading scholar in the country on the U.S.–South Korea alliance. There is much to learn from this latest installment of his histories, but the overall theme is particularly compelling: that political polarization at home—and on both sides—poses risks to the alliance. -- Stephan Haggard, author of <i>Developmental States</i> Scott Snyder's book is a bracing reminder that a U.S.-South Korea alliance cannot be taken for granted. Especially timely is Snyder's detailed discussion of the impact of political polarization, populism and nationalism in both countries on the future of the alliance. He makes a convincing case for why the alliance continues to matter, more than ever, and how to ensure its vitality going forward. -- Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Korea The U.S.-ROK alliance is back on track under the Biden and Yoon administrations. However, during the Trump and Moon administrations, the alliance remained vulnerable. Scott Snyder rightly points out the threat to the alliance from within. This is definitely a must-read book for both practitioners and researchers of the alliance. -- Cheol-Hee Park, chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy In The U.S.-South Korea Alliance, Scott Snyder once again raises the bar on scholarship covering contemporary Korean affairs. Coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the alliance, this future-oriented study investigates the domestic political currents and international pressures facing both South Korea and the United States to understand where the alliance is heading and what remains at stake. -- Andrew Yeo, author of <i>Asia’s Regional Architecture: Alliances and Institutions in the Pacific Century</i>

Scott A. Snyder’s book is a bracing reminder that a U.S.–South Korea alliance cannot be taken for granted. Especially timely is Snyder’s detailed discussion of the effect of political polarization, populism, and nationalism in both countries on the future of the alliance. He makes a convincing case for why the alliance continues to matter, more than ever, and how to ensure its vitality going forward. -- Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea The U.S.–ROK alliance is back on track under the Biden and Yoon administrations. However, during the Trump and Moon administrations, the alliance became vulnerable. Snyder rightly points out the threats to the alliance from within. This is definitely a must-read book for both practitioners and researchers. -- Cheol-Hee Park, chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy Snyder is the leading U.S. scholar on the alliance with South Korea. There is much to learn from this book, but the overall theme is particularly compelling: that political polarization at home—on both sides—poses risks to the alliance. -- Stephan Haggard, author of <i>Developmental States</i> In The United States–South Korea Alliance, Snyder once again raises the bar on scholarship covering contemporary Korean affairs. Coinciding with the seventieth anniversary of the alliance, this future-oriented study investigates the domestic political currents and international pressures facing both South Korea and the United States to understand where the alliance is heading and what remains at stake. -- Andrew Yeo, author of <i>Asia’s Regional Architecture: Alliances and Institutions in the Pacific Century</i> Snyder offers a good analysis of the ways in which domestic political conditions might undermine the US–South Korean alliance. * Survival *

Author Information

Scott A. Snyder is senior fellow for Korea studies and director of the program on U.S.–Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of South Korea at the Crossroads: Autonomy and Alliance in an Era of Rival Powers (Columbia, 2018), coauthor of The Japan–South Korea Identity Clash: East Asian Security and the United States (Columbia, 2015), and coeditor of North Korean Foreign Policy: The Kim Jong-Un Regime in a Hostile World (2023).

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