Chip 4 Alliance and Policy Coordination: The Case of South Korea

• In Event: Alliance Dynamics and Foreign Policy

Abstract

Among the U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific region, the Republic of Korea (ROK) is most unwilling and hesitant about coordinating export controls with the members of the U.S.-led Chip 4 alliance. While related literatures in the field of International Relations highlight the explanatory role of relative bargaining power, dependency on China, or domestic political constraints, I argue that pre-existing threat perceptions and foreign policy beliefs across the national leader and national institutional levels of analysis help explain the U.S. allies’ positions on the issue. I compare the decisions and actions of the ROK across Moon Jae In and Yoon Suk Yeol administrations and find support for my hypotheses, calling for more attention to specific beliefs across at least two levels of analysis.

Author

• Yoon Jin Lee, Queens College Department of Political Science