分类： politics

Israel is initiating preparatory discussions with the Trump administration to establish a new decade-long security arrangement, signaling a potential transformation in one of the world’s most enduring defense partnerships. According to exclusive reporting from the Financial Times, these negotiations will focus on transitioning from direct financial assistance to collaborative defense projects as the cornerstone of bilateral security cooperation.

Gil Pinchas, former chief financial adviser to Israel’s military and defense ministry, revealed that forthcoming talks would prioritize joint military initiatives over traditional cash grants. This strategic pivot emerges despite the current Memorandum of Understanding (2016-2028) that provides Israel with $38 billion in military aid, including $33 billion for weapons procurement and $5 billion for missile defense systems.

The proposed restructuring aligns with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recently stated objective of gradually reducing dependence on American military assistance over the next decade. Pinchas characterized the $3.3 billion annual ‘free money’ component as one element that could ‘decrease gradually’ within the new framework.

Emphasizing the broader strategic significance beyond financial considerations, Pinchas noted that ‘the partnership is more important than just the net financial issue… there are a lot of things that are equal to money.’ The U.S. State Department has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the anticipated negotiations, which are expected to commence in the coming weeks.

In a significant escalation of trade tensions, former US President Donald Trump has declared his intention to increase tariffs on South Korean imports from 15% to 25%, targeting key sectors including automobiles, lumber, and pharmaceuticals. The announcement was made via Trump’s Truth Social platform on Monday, where he accused South Korea’s legislature of failing to ratify what he termed a “Historic Trade Agreement” previously negotiated with Washington.

This potential policy reversal threatens to undermine a comprehensive trade and security agreement finalized just months earlier in October 2025, following personal negotiations between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. The original pact had secured reduced tariff rates for South Korean exports in exchange for substantial investment commitments from Seoul.

The South Korean government responded with measured concern, indicating it had received no prior official notification regarding the tariff increase. An emergency meeting was convened by Seoul’s presidential office, with Trade and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan participating remotely from Canada. In an official statement, South Korean officials emphasized their “commitment to implementing the tariff agreement” while pledging to respond “in a calm and measured manner.”

The automotive sector represents particularly high stakes in this dispute, accounting for approximately 27% of South Korea’s exports to the United States. A reversion to higher tariff levels would place South Korean manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage compared to trading partners like Japan and the European Union, which maintain 15% tariff rates under separate agreements.

This development marks the latest in a series of trade threats from Trump, who recently warned Canada with potential 100% tariffs should it pursue a trade deal with China, and similarly threatened European nations regarding his aspirations to purchase Greenland.

Italy has expressed strong opposition to the planned deployment of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for security operations during the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, creating diplomatic friction between the two NATO allies. The controversy stems from recent incidents in Minneapolis where ICE officers were involved in fatal shootings, generating widespread alarm in Italy after images of the events circulated nationally.

ICE confirmed through an official statement that its Homeland Security Investigations unit would support the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service in vetting and mitigating risks from transnational criminal organizations during the Games, which run from February 6-22. The agency emphasized that its personnel would ‘obviously not conduct immigration enforcement operations outside the US’ and that all security operations would remain under Italian authority.

The announcement triggered immediate backlash from Italian officials. Milan Mayor Beppe Sala denounced the decision on Italian radio, stating, ‘This is a militia that kills… of course they’re not welcome in Milan.’ He further asserted that ICE agents ‘don’t guarantee they conform to our democratic way of ensuring security.’

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Pantedosi initially appeared unaware of the deployment plans but later took a firm stance, maintaining that ‘ICE will certainly not operate on Italian national territory.’ He emphasized that security remained exclusively under Italian jurisdiction and that the US had not formally communicated a list of security personnel.

The tension escalated following reports that ICE officials in Minneapolis had threatened journalists from Italy’s public broadcaster RAI, warning them that their car window would be smashed if they continued filming federal agents. This incident, coupled with the fatal shootings in Minneapolis, intensified Italian concerns about the potential presence of these agents on their streets.

Regional officials attempted to defuse the situation, with Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana suggesting ICE agents would primarily protect US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, opposition politicians criticized Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government for what they characterized as subservience to the Trump administration, highlighting the complex political dimensions of this international security dispute.

Academic experts specializing in international affairs have presented a nuanced assessment of Sino-American relations for the coming year, identifying both stabilizing factors and underlying vulnerabilities in the bilateral relationship. The analysis emerged during a recent virtual symposium organized by the Institute for China-America Studies, where scholars examined the geopolitical landscape following significant developments throughout 2025.

David Kang, who holds the Maria Crutcher professorship in international relations at the University of Southern California, expressed measured optimism, noting that the current state of affairs has surpassed earlier expectations. This cautiously positive outlook follows a year that witnessed five substantial trade negotiation rounds and a consequential summit in Busan, South Korea, which resulted in a temporary suspension of tariff escalations.

The Trump administration’s recently published National Security Strategy provided additional context for the discussion. The document notably emphasized economic engagement across Asia while refraining from characterizing China as an existential national security threat—a significant departure from conventional Washington foreign policy rhetoric.

Robert Sutter, professor of practice at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, highlighted President Trump’s distinctive approach to China relations, describing it as fundamentally “transactional” rather than ideologically driven. This methodology leverages access to the enormous American consumer market as diplomatic capital to negotiate bilateral agreements more favorable to United States interests.

However, Professor Kang offered a more circumspect perspective regarding American influence in Asia, suggesting that regional trends continue to move in concerning directions. He characterized the public displays of diplomatic engagement from Asian allies as “performative flattery” that masks deeper efforts to establish regional networks as protection against potential American policy volatility.

The Taiwan question emerged as a critical flashpoint in the discussions. The United States’ approval of an unprecedented $11 billion arms package to Taiwan in late 2025—the largest single authorization to date—contrasted with the National Security Strategy’s reaffirmation of established policy without explicit endorsement of the One-China principle.

Bucknell University Professor Zhu Zhiqun described the arms sales as a “problematic approach” that contributes to relationship fragility. He characterized the current bilateral dynamic as a “negative equilibrium” sustained not by mutual benefit or shared values but by reciprocal capacity for economic harm through mechanisms including tariff impositions, technology controls, and commodity restrictions.

Despite these challenges, Liu Yawei, senior China advisor at the Carter Center, projected optimism for 2026, suggesting that stability on the Taiwan issue could produce stabilizing effects across the entire US-China relationship, ultimately benefiting the international community at large.