Xuan Dung Phan, Research Assistant at RSIS, wrote this opinion piece on how US president-elect Joe Biden will have a challenging time restoring US alliances in Northeast Asia, as Japan-South Korea ties have soured over deep-rooted historical issues. “While President Donald Trump took a hands-off approach, Biden seems eager to help the two U.S. allies mend ties. But his administration must avoid the fundamental flaw of previous reparations arrangements: prioritizing state interests over victims’ concerns,” he added.

…Xuan Dung Phan is a Research Assistant at S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interests include reparative justice and international relations of Asia-Pacific.