The signing of a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ agreement between Russia and North Korea for mutual defence assistance has raised serious concerns in South Korea.
With increasing North Korean nuclear and missile threats, and Chinese nuclear force modernisation, the prospects of indigenous nuclear weapons acquisition by Japan and South Korea cannot be ruled out.
The Washington Declaration reflects yet another effort by the US and South Korea to present a united front against North Korean nuclear and missile sabre rattling.
As Yoon Suk-yeol takes charge amid global disorder and deep domestic divide, his legacy will be defined by how well he succeeds in effectively walking the talk of positioning Seoul front and centre in shaping a rules-based order in Indo-Pacific.
In the arena of international relations nation-states have been regarded as the primary actors. However, the constituent units of nation-states have also become active in forging relations with the political units which are located outside the national borders through ‘para-diplomacy’. Since the 1990s the states of Indian union have been playing a significant role in India’s foreign affairs. The Narendra Modi government in New Delhi has also established a ‘States Division’ in the Ministry of External Affairs.
