Matthew Kaminski, editor-at-large of Politico, and a former Financial Times and Wall Street Journal scribbler, published an article in Politico Magazine on Nov. 4 titled: “The Next World War Starts Here,” with the kicker, “An aggressive China and Russia’s war on Ukraine brought South Korea and Japan closer—with lots of American help. Keeping them together to deter Beijing will be one of the most important foreign policy tasks for Harris or Trump.” Kaminski asserts that the U.S. must take drastic action to solidify the Japan-South Korea military cooperation with the U.S. and NATO to “deter China.”
Kaminski acknowledged that he is an active part of forging the NATO-like bloc in Asia, reporting that in his discussion with former Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, Kihara said: “Japan is now facing off against North Korea, Russia and China and that makes for a severe security environment. We feel a strong sense of crisis considering that such incidents took place in a short period of time.”
Kaminski also praises U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who said that last year’s Camp David summit between Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and then-Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set the tone to “overcome historical differences” between the two Asian powers. Kaminski wrote: “‘When you have trust in us and in the president, you don’t do the bare minimum,’ Emanuel said. ‘They went beyond their comfort zone. In a world consumed by war and grievance, history can catch up to the present and shape it. Camp David showed dialogue and diplomacy shaped the future.
“‘Now,’ Emanuel continued, ‘the goal is to institutionalize it in the DNA of governments.’”
