Three years into the Trump administration’s “America First” approach to foreign policy, the president’s repeated criticisms of alliances, muddled messaging, and policy confusion have placed the trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific alliance systems under strain.
On October 29, scholars from the Brookings Institution, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and the Asan Institute will discuss the impact of these policies on America’s allies and examine the shifting geopolitical dynamics. How do U.S. allies perceive the U.S. commitment to these decades-long relationships? How have European and East Asian countries adjusted their approaches to the United States and to their neighbors? As the deepening U.S.-China rivalry has developed into the new norm, how do our allies view their role in their respective regions and their security interests in this framework? What are the implications for regional security and cooperation?
The trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific dialogue will provide strategic analysis of evolving alliance structures, delve into the future of U.S. relationships in Europe and the Asia Pacific, and examine the implications on regional conflict management, especially with respect to the Korean Peninsula.
Register here: https://www.brookings.edu/events/trans-atlantic-and-trans-pacific-dialogue-alliances-at-crossroads/
Agenda
1:30 p.m. -- Welcoming remarks
Choi Kang, Vice President (Acting President) and Principal Fellow, Asan Institute for Policy Studies
Jung H. Pak, SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies Senior Fellow, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution
Ramon Pacheco Pardo, KF-VUB Korea Chair, The Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
1:45 p.m. -- Alliances in the age of “America First”
Moderator: Choi Kang, Vice President (Acting President) and Principal Fellow, Asan Institute for Policy Studies
James Kim, Research Fellow, Asan Institute for Policy Studies
Jung H. Pak, SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies Senior Fellow, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution
Luis Simón, Research Professor, The Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Thomas Wright, Senior Fellow and Director, Center on the United States and Europe, The Brookings Institution
3:15 p.m. -- Alliances in the new normal of US-China rivalry
Moderator: Ramon Pacheco Pardo, KF-VUB Korea Chair, The Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Linde Desmaele, Ph.D. Researcher, International Security, The Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Lynn Kuok, Associate Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Shin Beomchul, Director, Center for Security and Unification, Asan Institute for Policy Studies