Behind the Scenes / Trumpian diplomacy disturbs core allies

“Even when the tension between Japan and the U.S. in 1970s and the 80s over the huge Japanese trade surplus with the U.S. was very high, there was always an attempt and a determination in both Washington and Tokyo to keep the trade issues separate from the security issues. This was sacred to every American president since 1945, and this enabled the Japan-U.S. alliance to serve as a strong deterrent during the Cold War,” Eyal said. “Trump not merely combines the two, but he actually sees the two as completely inseparable, which could destabilize the U.S. alliances.”