The Republic of Korea and the United States: A study in alliance politics

This thesis examines the significance of a weaker partner’s role in a bilateral alliance with a great power. Specifically, it investigates the dynamics of the relationship between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States that emerged after the Second World War. Since 1945, the Korean Peninsula has been characterised by persistent geopolitical competition, militarisation and the failure to find sustainable peace. The ROK has relied heavily on its great power ally, the US, for its security. Like many others, this alliance has been complex and susceptible to geopolitical shifts. To illuminate these dynamics, the thesis addresses three research questions. First, how has the ROK-US alliance evolved since the Second World War? Second, to what extent has the ROK influenced and complicated US policies towards the Korean peninsula? Third, how have changes in the alliance affected the maintenance of shared hegemony on the Peninsula? To answer these questions, concepts of alliance management and a theme of shared hegemony are integrated into a single analytical framework, which is then used to examine four case studies spanning the period from 1945 to 2017. The thesis focuses on the critical milestones within the alliance, demonstrating that a weaker ally such as the ROK can exert influence and shape the actions and attitudes of its great power patron.