The United States–South Korea Alliance

Scott A. Snyder’s book is a bracing reminder that a U.S.–South Korea alliance cannot be taken for granted. Especially timely is Snyder’s detailed discussion of the effect of political polarization, populism, and nationalism in both countries on the future of the alliance. He makes a convincing case for why the alliance continues to matter, more than ever, and how to ensure its vitality going forward. – Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
The U.S.–ROK alliance is back on track under the Biden and Yoon administrations. However, during the Trump and Moon administrations, the alliance became vulnerable. Snyder rightly points out the threats to the alliance from within. This is definitely a must-read book for both practitioners and researchers. – Cheol-Hee Park, chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy
Snyder is the leading U.S. scholar on the alliance with South Korea. There is much to learn from this book, but the overall theme is particularly compelling: that political polarization at home—on both sides—poses risks to the alliance. – Stephan Haggard, author of Developmental States
In The United States–South Korea Alliance, Snyder once again raises the bar on scholarship covering contemporary Korean affairs. Coinciding with the seventieth anniversary of the alliance, this future-oriented study investigates the domestic political currents and international pressures facing both South Korea and the United States to understand where the alliance is heading and what remains at stake. – Andrew Yeo, author of Asia’s Regional Architecture: Alliances and Institutions in the Pacific Century
Snyder offers a good analysis of the ways in which domestic political conditions might undermine the US–South Korean alliance. * Survival *

Scott A. Snyder is senior fellow for Korea studies and director of the program on U.S.–Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of South Korea at the Crossroads: Autonomy and Alliance in an Era of Rival Powers (Columbia, 2018), coauthor of The Japan–South Korea Identity Clash: East Asian Security and the United States (Columbia, 2015), and coeditor of North Korean Foreign Policy: The Kim Jong-Un Regime in a Hostile World (2023).

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