By Sanxuan

With allies reluctant to dispatch fleets for the escort mission in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump became anxious.

In recent days, Trump has frequently posted long articles on social media, criticizing many allied countries for not taking action, especially those closely related to the United States, almost none of them could escape being named. Among them, the UK in Europe and Japan and South Korea in Asia are the countries most frequently mentioned.

Trump

The reason why Japan and South Korea are frequently mentioned is simple: their own security relies on U.S. military presence. As Trump put it, the U.S. has protected them for decades, and now when it needs their help, they don't even want to lend a hand. His implication is that they are ungrateful.

Trump said that over the past few decades, the U.S. military has been protecting allies, but mutual assistance between allies should be reciprocal, not one-sided. When the U.S. needs help, allies should step forward actively, rather than delaying and being prompted repeatedly.

This obviously sounds a bit exaggerated. Although Japan and South Korea haven't helped the U.S. in war, they have also done plenty of bad things following behind the U.S. Moreover, this issue involves their own energy security, as both countries rely heavily on Middle Eastern oil supply, so it's inconvenient for them to offend Iran by participating in the escort mission. This war is not really related to them anyway.

Trump and Takahashi Asako

But now, they may not have a choice anymore. Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Asako will visit the U.S. this week, and Trump is likely to apply pressure in person. It is highly probable that Takahashi will make concessions, such as providing logistical support and patrol services to the U.S., avoiding direct participation in combat.

If Japan gives in, the pressure will naturally fall on South Korea. Just like the previous tariff negotiations, after Japan agreed to the massive investment conditions, South Korea had no choice but to follow suit.

There have been similar precedents before. In 2020, the U.S. had also asked South Korea to join the escort mission in the Strait of Hormuz. At that time, South Korea expanded the scope of its anti-piracy operations off Somalia, but did not coordinate with U.S. forces, maintaining an independent framework. Later, since there was no large-scale conflict between the U.S. and Iran, South Korea managed to get away with it.

However, times have changed. If Japan and South Korea really send fleets, even if they do not participate in U.S. combat missions, they will be targeted by Iran, and one misstep could lead to a total loss.

Trump and Lee Jae-myung

By comparison, British Prime Minister Starmer faces an even more awkward situation. Being a traditional U.S. ally, Britain has participated in almost every U.S. military operation in the past. This time, its rare non-participation will certainly not be overlooked easily.

Trump told reporters that he directly confronted Starmer, because the latter said the escort matter still needed to be discussed with his team. Trump then told Starmer that as the prime minister, he can make the decision himself, and there's no need to seek others' approval for such matters.

Trump also complained that the U.S. has protected the UK through NATO for years, which Putin can confirm, because Putin is afraid of the U.S., but not at all of Europe.

He casually mentioned the Ukraine-Russia conflict, saying that the U.S. could have left Ukraine and Europe alone, but out of the moral and responsibility to its allies, it still provided help, only to be repaid like this.

Trump and Starmer

In response to Trump's accusations, Starmer, as usual, played it safe, saying he hopes more countries will participate in the escort mission, but didn't say whether the UK would be the first to take the plunge.

Behind the refusal of allies lies the declining military strength of the U.S. The facts show that the U.S. can only easily defeat countries like Venezuela now, but any country with some strength poses a challenge to the U.S. military. If the U.S. itself isn't strong enough, it shouldn't be surprised that allies are choosing sides based on circumstances.



Original: toutiao.com/article/7618161255756382739/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.