Resurgent Bilateralism and Trilateralism:
Prospects for Enhanced Cooperation among the US, Japan, and Republic of Korea
In July of 2022, the NCAFP organized a bilateral US-ROK and trilateral US-Japan-ROK virtual Track II meetings featuring high-level scholars and former officials from all sides. The participants discussed:
- The outcomes of the Biden-Yoon summit and the ROK's initiative for a "global pivotal state"
- Potential policy gaps among the three countries resulting from different threat perceptions and foreign policy priorities, especially on the North Korean nuclear issue
- The impact of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and deepening US-China rivalry on prospects for trilateral cooperation in the region and beyond
- The growing challenge of polarized domestic politics and its influence on expanding bilateral and trilateral relations
To read the policy recommendations and the summary of these Track II discussions, click here.