US’ alliance rhetoric rings hollow

The U.S. Donald Trump administration’s recent denunciation of China’s rare earth export restrictions as a “coercive act against the world” is laced with irony. Urging allied nations to form a united front, U.S. officials have framed the issue as not merely an economic concern, but a geopolitical challenge that demands solidarity. Yet this sudden call for collective action exposes a glaring contradiction in Washington’s approach to its alliances, especially under Trump. For much of his presidency, Trump has treated allies not as strategic partners but as economic competitors. His declaration that “in many cases, our allies are worse than our so-called enemies” translated into sweeping tariffs imposed not only on adversaries, but on key allies including Korea, Japan, the European Union and Canada. These measures were often unilateral and abrupt, reflecting a coercive, even hostile, view of diplomacy. In one notable incident, U.S. immigration enforcement agents stormed a Korean battery factory in Georgia without prior notice, detaining hundreds of Korean workers. Such actioWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times