Thank you for this insightful article. In light of advancements in ROK's strategic position, do you believe the conditions for OPCON transfer have been met? And if so, would that be the beginning of a downwards slope towards the end of the alliance?
Hi Chris, IMO the OPCON transfer has always been less about the conditions and more about the politics. OPCON It will be a decision point or marker for future historians to look at and say "this happened" to the alliance when what lead to it was the hundreds of much smaller decisions that are made every week in line departments, executive, parliamentary and party offices. We're already on that downward slope, and not much can change the direction - that being said, if the alliance is to survive it needs a shake-up, and Trump is going to do that!
Thank you for the response, that is a very good point. It does seem that assuming they ward off their abject downfall, institutions can emerge from crisis more robust than before. Trump will just bring every would-be dispute to the forefront in record time. ROK just needs to strategically deal with Trump by giving him the headlines and PR victories he wants without acting egotistical (Zelensky meeting a chief cautionary tale) and they could outlast the next four years relatively unscathed. Then what happens after Trump becomes the next big question I guess.
Thank you for this insightful article. In light of advancements in ROK's strategic position, do you believe the conditions for OPCON transfer have been met? And if so, would that be the beginning of a downwards slope towards the end of the alliance?
Hi Chris, IMO the OPCON transfer has always been less about the conditions and more about the politics. OPCON It will be a decision point or marker for future historians to look at and say "this happened" to the alliance when what lead to it was the hundreds of much smaller decisions that are made every week in line departments, executive, parliamentary and party offices. We're already on that downward slope, and not much can change the direction - that being said, if the alliance is to survive it needs a shake-up, and Trump is going to do that!
Thank you for the response, that is a very good point. It does seem that assuming they ward off their abject downfall, institutions can emerge from crisis more robust than before. Trump will just bring every would-be dispute to the forefront in record time. ROK just needs to strategically deal with Trump by giving him the headlines and PR victories he wants without acting egotistical (Zelensky meeting a chief cautionary tale) and they could outlast the next four years relatively unscathed. Then what happens after Trump becomes the next big question I guess.