This week, US Defense Secretary James Mattis arrives in Asia to visit South Korea and Japan. Two stalwart US allies, policymakers in both capitals have nevertheless been shaken by statements Donald Trump made while campaigning for President. Statements like this played to the worst fears in Seoul and Tokyo that the United States might no longer be a committed ally. Jeffrey HornungOf course, the Trump administration is still less than two weeks old, and specific policies pertaining to the Asia-Pacific security realm are nonexistent. The decision for Mattis' first official travel to target South Korea and Japan reinforces both the notion that the United States prioritizes the Asia-Pacific region and that it considers the security ties it maintains with South Korea and Japan to be important.

Source: CNN January 31, 2017 22:36 UTC