fredag 21. august 2026

Pivot! Pivot! Trump’s Asia Policy Is Giving America’s Friends Whiplash

President Donald Trump has given skeptics of his Indo-Pacific policy more ammunition to pronounce dead the U.S. pivot to Asia, this time by calling war games with ally South Korea "inappropriate and hostile" to the North and its strongman leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim has been "unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency, Trump said on Truth Social, in an announcement to scale down annual preparedness drills just hours before they were scheduled to begin. He also took a swipe at his South Korean counterpart for declining to join his war in Iran.

North Korea, which flouted multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions only last week by testing more ballistic missiles, is learning the utility of its rhetorical threats against the United States. And if it wasn’t clear already, America’s enemies are understanding the true value of even a modest nuclear arsenal like the one held by Pyongyang.