Leadership as petulance

U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to scale down annual military exercises with South Korea, and the writer says the move reflects petulant leadership rather than diplomacy. The column argues that the South Korea-U.S. alliance remains pivotal to national security and regional peace. It says Trump’s actions play into the calculations of Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, while South Korea should pursue greater independence in military matters.

The column says South Korea accepted $350 billion in Trump’s America First trade relationship earlier in his second term.

It says annual drills help coordinate Korean and American military forces and joint operations.

The writer argues that South Korea is now a necessary, if not sufficient, partner for the United States in the current context.

Published Sep 12, 2026 11:18 am KST

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves.”

Unfortunately, many contemporary leaders don’t seem to credit Lao Tzu so much. We live in an age when people of nations are enthralled with the leaders who have the answers, in digestible sound bites and demonstrate confident action for public interest, as they define it. Unwieldy and divided legislative bodies are too often less manageable, orderly and unproductive. Or they follow the agenda of an executive or would-be leader.

U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to scale down America’s annual military exercises with South Korea. Ostensibly, he is using the language of diplomacy, not wanting to make things sound or look aggressive to the Kim government in Pyongyang and to reduce military expenditures by the United States.

Just behind these calm and reasoned statements are others less diplomatic. South Korea did not choose to support Trump's actions against Iran in the Middle East. Trump dislikes the level of spending that South Korea relies on from the United States. Trump likes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, these days again at least, and hopes that further diplomatic entreaties might be forthcoming. Trump wishes to apply a “carrot” or punishment to the Lee Jae Myung government.

The ruling party and government have reacted with renewed calls for greater South Korean independence in military matters. This, along with Trump’s rhetoric and actions, has frightened more sober quarters and commentators who see the South Korean-U.S. alliance, which extends to other nations in East Asia as well, as pivotal to national security and international peace this century. Annual drills provide better coordination between Korean and American military forces and joint operations. It’s necessary in the ongoing stasis of inter-Korean relations and the age of Sino-American competition.

Trump’s petulance plays right into the calculations and machinations of Kim, of Russian President Vladimir Putin and of Chinese President Xi Jinping. They are only too happy to see U.S. president alienating one of America’s strongest and staunchest allies and putting America’s allies in the Alliance for Democracy on their heels. Just as Putin and Xi continue to pursue tactics and measures of coordination with North Korea and Iran, Trump tries to exhibit power against the South to obtain more concessions.

South Korea has already made several concessions to Trump’s peculiar type of alliance and diplomacy earlier in his second term. His demand for an America First trade relationship was accepted to the tune of $350 billion. Perhaps his pattern of doubling down for more with those who acquiesce is in effect.

The gradual tenor of much of the security relations between Seoul and Washington will and likely should graduate to greater South Korean independence. It’s unlikely that the South is as fooled by Northern ambitions and machinations as is Trump. Kim is pursuing the long-term militarization of his country for purposes of regime survival. Nothing much more than that. His country remains an economic and cultural backwater. Trump has no plan to do anything much to assist Kim there, not that the latter would accept. But Kim has a penchant for renegadism, which must be understood and proactively faced.

To observe the triangulation and quadrangulation of the Axis of Autocracy members is disconcerting. Russia and North Korea continue building their military cooperation, along with Iran. China does so as well in alignment with its plans for global alternatives to Western democracy and freedom. There are fissures in the plans of this Axis, but now Trump is making their dreams come true, left, right, and center.

And for what? Trump will at best continue to commit the United States to an expensive and only partially effective set of controls to prop up some flow of oil and other goods through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the entire affair has enabled the Iranian government to generate greater support for itself at the expense of regional peace and stability. Demanding that allies support American-defined efforts with Iran and elsewhere is Trump’s favorite brand of leadership, but its impact is dwindling, while inflation continues apace and American power, both in terms of credibility and capability, declines. He increasingly finds allies less willing to contribute in the manner he needs to and to the degree he needs.

The tragedy of present American, Iranian, North Korean and Russian leaderships is that apart from their deafening noises and actions, they all are most likely declining as global powers.

While China cooperates, bilaterally and otherwise, with many comers, her ascent isn’t dependent as much on any ally. America cannot hazard thinking this way with respect to South Korea. What once was seen as a developing nation and “little buddy” to the United States is no more. South Korea is a necessary, if not sufficient, partner for the United States in the present context, and our leaders would do well to let contrary notions and actions retreat into the silence and cessation they deserve.

Bernard Rowan ( browan10@yahoo.com ) is professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a former fellow of The Korea Foundation and was a visiting professor at the Hanyang University Graduate School of Public Administration.

美国总统特朗普决定缩减与韩国的年度联合军演规模，作者认为此举反映的是特朗普任性的领导风格，而非外交手腕。文章指出，美韩同盟对国家安全和地区和平仍然至关重要。文章还表示，特朗普的举动正中金正恩、普京和习近平的下怀，而韩国应该在军事事务上追求更大的独立性。

专栏文章称，在特朗普第二任期初期，韩国接受了特朗普“美国优先”贸易关系中的 3500 亿美元。

报告称，年度演习有助于协调韩国和美国军队以及联合行动。

作者认为，在当前形势下，韩国即使不是美国的充分条件，也是美国的必要合作伙伴。

发布于2026年9月12日上午11:18（韩国标准时间）

中国哲学家老子曾说过：“最好的领导者，是人们几乎感觉不到他的存在；当他的工作完成，他的目标实现时，人们会说：‘这是我们自己做到的。’”

遗憾的是，许多当代领导人似乎并不重视老子。我们生活在一个国家人民被那些能够给出答案、言简意赅、并以他们所定义的“公共利益”为导向的领导人所吸引的时代。臃肿且分裂的立法机构往往难以管理、缺乏秩序且效率低下。或者，它们只是追随行政部门或潜在领导人的议程。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普决定缩减美韩年度联合军演的规模。表面上，他是在运用外交辞令，既不想让平壤的金正恩政府觉得他咄咄逼人，也想减少美国的军费开支。

在这些冷静理性的表态背后，隐藏着一些不那么外交辞令的言论。韩国没有选择支持特朗普在中东针对伊朗的行动。特朗普不满韩国对美国援助的依赖程度。特朗普最近似乎对朝鲜领导人金正恩颇有好感，并希望未来能有更多外交接触。特朗普希望对李在明政府施以“胡萝卜加大棒”或惩罚。

执政党和政府对此的回应是再次呼吁韩国在军事事务上拥有更大的自主权。这与特朗普的言论和行动一起，令较为冷静的人士和评论员感到担忧，他们认为韩美同盟（其范围也延伸至其他东亚国家）对本世纪的国家安全和国际和平至关重要。年度联合军演有助于韩美军队更好地协调合作，开展联合行动。在韩美关系持续停滞不前以及中美竞争日益激烈的今天，这种合作尤为必要。

特朗普的任性妄为正中金正恩、俄罗斯总统普京和中国国家主席习近平的下怀。他们乐见美国总统疏远美国最强大、最坚定的盟友之一，并让美国在民主同盟中的盟友措手不及。正如普京和习近平继续寻求与朝鲜和伊朗协调的策略和措施一样，特朗普也试图向韩国展示实力，以换取更多让步。

早在特朗普第二任期初期，韩国就已对其独特的联盟和外交方式做出了一些让步。他提出的“美国优先”贸易关系要求，韩国接受了高达3500亿美元的让步。或许，他惯用的“对那些默许者加倍施压”的策略依然有效。

首尔和华盛顿之间大部分安全关系的渐进式发展，最终很可能会也应该朝着韩国更大的独立性迈进。韩国不太可能像特朗普那样被朝鲜的野心和阴谋所蒙蔽。金正恩推行朝鲜的长期军事化是为了政权的存续，仅此而已。他的国家在经济和文化上仍然落后。特朗普并没有计划采取任何实质性措施来帮助金正恩，即便金正恩也不会接受。但金正恩有叛逆的倾向，这一点必须被理解并积极应对。

观察“专制轴心”成员之间的三角和四方博弈令人不安。俄罗斯、朝鲜和伊朗都在继续加强军事合作。中国也在这样做，这与其在全球范围内寻求西方民主和自由的替代方案的计划相一致。这个轴心的计划存在裂痕，但如今特朗普正在左右两派、中间派地实现他们的梦想。

这一切又是为了什么？特朗普充其量只会让美国继续维持一套昂贵且收效甚微的霍尔木兹海峡管控措施，以支撑石油和其他货物的流通。与此同时，整个事件却让伊朗政府得以以牺牲地区和平与稳定为代价，巩固自身地位。要求盟友支持美国主导的伊朗及其他地区的行动，是特朗普惯用的领导方式，但这种方式的影响力正在减弱，而通货膨胀却持续高涨，美国的信誉和实力都在下降。他越来越发现，盟友们越来越不愿意按照他要求的方式和程度做出贡献。

当前美国、伊朗、朝鲜和俄罗斯领导层的悲剧在于，除了他们震耳欲聋的喧嚣和行动之外，他们作为全球强国的地位很可能正在衰落。

尽管中国与许多国家开展双边及其他形式的合作，但其崛起并不像对任何盟友那样依赖。美国不能对韩国抱有同样的看法。曾经被视为发展中国家和美国“小伙伴”的韩国，如今已不再如此。在当前形势下，韩国是美国的必要伙伴，即便并非充分条件。我们的领导人最好让那些与之相悖的观念和行为就此沉寂，停止一切。

伯纳德·罗文（browan10@yahoo.com）是芝加哥州立大学政治学教授。他曾是韩国基金会的研究员，也曾是汉阳大学公共管理研究生院的客座教授。