Trump Says US Will Continue To Enjoy Advantage of Being World’s Policeman Without Bearing Burden

Published in Kyunghyang Shinmun
(South Korea) on 27 Dec 2018
by Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Myung Jeon. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
“The United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world,” President Donald Trump said on his trip to the American air base in Iraq on Dec. 26, 2018. “It’s not fair when the burden is all on us, the United States.” Trump also commented that “America shouldn’t be doing the fighting for every nation on earth, not being reimbursed, in many cases, at all. If they want us to do the fighting, they also have to pay a price.” The president’s remarks can be understood as his policy that the U.S. will no longer act as the world’s policeman unless other countries offer to help. Although this is not the first time the U.S. commander-in-chief has displayed his pessimism about America’s role as a global policeman, his recent statement is alarmingly different and therefore should not be taken lightly. This time, he is backing up his words with action, including an announced U.S. withdrawal from Syria.

Some say that Trump was pointing to South Korea with his remarks about additional contributions from U.S. allies for four consecutive days. The two countries reportedly failed to secure an agreement on the American leadership’s demands for far greater burden sharing during the tenth round of defense cost-sharing negotiations. Some argue that given the impasse, the American president’s comments carry a message: Washington may draw down the U.S. presence in South Korea unless Seoul steps up its contributions.

According to U.S. media, Trump is pushing for a hike in contributions of at least 50 percent from its close ally, which not only easily exceeds the 2013 increase but sounds ludicrous considering that America has failed to exhaust the 2013 contribution and has carried the balance forward every year since. Moreover, more factors have contributed to the cutbacks in Seoul’s annual fees than factors which justify an increase. For example, American troops stationed in South Korea are less likely to conduct emergency training exercises as there have been fewer military provocations by the isolated regime this year. Meanwhile, U.S. troops stationed in South Korea not only contribute to the military capability needed to deter North Korea’s nuclear program, but serve America’s strategic interest, which includes stabilizing the region and checking China’s rise. In this context, Trump’s narrative that the South is the only beneficiary of American troops based there is no different from saying that the U.S. will continue to enjoy the advantage of being the world’s policeman but will no longer bear the burden.

The South Korean government needs to deal firmly with U.S. pressure. There is no doubt that the U.S.-South Korean coalition should remain strong to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, but this does not mean that South Korea needs to give in to unfair demands. In the medium and long term, the Moon Jae-in administration needs to be prepared for a possible redeployment of U.S. military forces stationed in the country, which might be triggered by Trump’s isolationism. It would be unwise to have an unnecessarily inflexible approach to the redeployment issue. In addition, it is necessary to conduct an open-minded discussion about the status of American troops in South Korea being necessary for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and construction of a peaceful situation in the region.


‘경찰국가’ 지위는 누리되 부담은 안 지겠다는 트럼프

도널드 트럼프 미국 대통령이 26일(현지시간) 이라크의 미군 공군기지를 방문한 자리에서 “미국이 계속해서 세계의 경찰일 수는 없다”며 “모든 짐을 미국이 져야 하는 상황은 부당하다”고 말했다. 트럼프 대통령은 또 “우리는 더는 자신들을 보호하기 위해 우리의 엄청난 군을 이용하는 국가들에 이용당하지 않을 것”이라며 “미국이 계속 싸워주기를 원한다면 그들도 대가를 지불해야 한다”고 밝혔다. 트럼프의 발언은 요컨대 ‘다른 나라들이 우리를 돕지 않는다면 세계의 경찰 역할을 하지 않을 것’이라는 뜻인 셈이다. 트럼프가 ‘세계의 경찰’ 역할에 회의론을 펼친 것은 처음이 아니지만 이번에는 시리아 미군철수 계획이 발표되는 등 ‘실행’이 뒷받침하고 있어 예사로이 넘기기 어렵다.

트럼프가 사흘 연속 동맹국의 방위비 추가부담을 거론한 것은 한국을 겨냥한 것이라는 관측도 나온다. 한·미는 올해 10차에 걸쳐 방위비 협상을 벌였으나 최근 미국 수뇌부의 대폭 증액 요구로 원점으로 돌아간 것으로 전해졌다. 이런 상황에서 트럼프의 발언은 한국이 지금보다 더 많이 방위비를 부담하지 않으면 주한미군 규모 등을 조정할 수 있다는 메시지를 품은 것이라는 해석이 아니냐는 것이다. 미 언론 보도에 따르면 트럼프는 최소 50% 인상을 추진하고 있다고 한다. 이는 지난 13년치 인상분보다도 많은 액수인 데다 미국이 한국의 분담금을 채 쓰지도 못해 해마다 이월하고 있는 점을 감안하면 터무니없다. 더구나 올 들어 북한의 군사도발 감소로 주한미군의 긴급상황을 상정한 군사운용 가능성이 낮아지는 등 비용 감소요인이 더 많은 상황이다. 주한미군은 대북 억제만을 위한 군사력이 아니라 동북아 지역안정과 중국 견제 등 미국의 전략적 이익에도 부합한다. 그런데도 한국만이 수혜자인 양하는 트럼프의 화법은 ‘경찰국가’ 지위는 누리되 부담은 지지 않겠다는 말이나 다름없다.

정부는 미국의 압박에 의연하게 대처할 필요가 있다. 북핵 해결을 위한 한·미 공조가 영향을 받아서는 안되겠지만, 부당한 요구에 대해서까지 굴복할 이유는 없다. 중장기적으로는 트럼프의 고립주의가 주한미군의 재조정으로 이어질 가능성에도 대비할 필요가 있다. 우리 사회가 주한미군 재조정 문제에 지나치게 경직된 태도를 보이는 것도 바람직하지 않다. 한반도 비핵화와 평화체제 구축을 대비해 주한미군 지위에 대한 신축적이고 유연한 논의도 허용돼야 할 것이다.
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