Moon–Biden summit: A success? Too soon to say
June 8, 2021 | International
Before South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with President Joe Biden in Washington on May 21, both sides worried the other side was going to say something upsetting.
Nobody did.
And in that sense the Moon-Biden summit was a success.
Indeed, these head of state meetings are almost always a ‘success’—at least as measured by cordial discussions, a lunch, a lengthy ‘official statement’ of what the two sides agreed in language that each side can interpret as they wish (especially to their domestic audiences) and a photogenic press conference.
As a result, post-summit pundit assessments often seem like Rorschach test results. In this case, some saw a recommitment to the ROK-U.S. alliance and a ‘win-win,’ others remain skeptical.
My sense of things? I think President Moon came out of it pretty well, but as for the U.S.-ROK alliance, I’m not so sure…
(Excerpts from Center for Security Policy)
