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“Making the alliance even greater” : (Mis-)managing U.S.-Japan relations in the age of Trump

O’Shea, Paul LU and Maslow, Sebastian (2021) In Asian Security 17(2). p.195-215
Abstract

President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy questions the fundamentals of the global U.S.-led alliance network. Where other allies implemented hedging strategies, Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzō pledged to “make the alliance even greater,” insisting that the bilateral ties were “airtight” and “stronger than ever before.” However, Trump’s approach to trade, détente with North Korea, and off-the-cuff remarks regarding nuclear weapons invigorated criticism in Japan: the U.S. is an unreliable partner and Japan needs to prepare for life after the alliance. We argue that Abe’s embrace of Trump was successful in staving off the worst, maintaining stability at the cost of personal humiliation and certain trade and security interests.... (More)

President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy questions the fundamentals of the global U.S.-led alliance network. Where other allies implemented hedging strategies, Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzō pledged to “make the alliance even greater,” insisting that the bilateral ties were “airtight” and “stronger than ever before.” However, Trump’s approach to trade, détente with North Korea, and off-the-cuff remarks regarding nuclear weapons invigorated criticism in Japan: the U.S. is an unreliable partner and Japan needs to prepare for life after the alliance. We argue that Abe’s embrace of Trump was successful in staving off the worst, maintaining stability at the cost of personal humiliation and certain trade and security interests. However, Trump’s cavalier treatment of Japan has laid bare the realities of the alliance, potentially revitalizing a more autonomous discourse of alternatives to the current and often “humiliating” modus in alliance management.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Asian Security
volume
17
issue
2
pages
21 pages
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:85095758206
ISSN
1479-9855
DOI
10.1080/14799855.2020.1838486
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
02eda9b2-13f7-42f0-9017-9212455bceb0
date added to LUP
2020-11-16 14:05:35
date last changed
2022-04-26 21:49:21
@article{02eda9b2-13f7-42f0-9017-9212455bceb0,
  abstract     = {{<p>President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy questions the fundamentals of the global U.S.-led alliance network. Where other allies implemented hedging strategies, Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzō pledged to “make the alliance even greater,” insisting that the bilateral ties were “airtight” and “stronger than ever before.” However, Trump’s approach to trade, détente with North Korea, and off-the-cuff remarks regarding nuclear weapons invigorated criticism in Japan: the U.S. is an unreliable partner and Japan needs to prepare for life after the alliance. We argue that Abe’s embrace of Trump was successful in staving off the worst, maintaining stability at the cost of personal humiliation and certain trade and security interests. However, Trump’s cavalier treatment of Japan has laid bare the realities of the alliance, potentially revitalizing a more autonomous discourse of alternatives to the current and often “humiliating” modus in alliance management.</p>}},
  author       = {{O’Shea, Paul and Maslow, Sebastian}},
  issn         = {{1479-9855}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{195--215}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Asian Security}},
  title        = {{“Making the alliance even greater” : (Mis-)managing U.S.-Japan relations in the age of Trump}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14799855.2020.1838486}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/14799855.2020.1838486}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}