Plus, competition for Tech Hubs and other federal investments, and why the U.S. needs to recommit to conflict prevention.
December 22, 2023 Editor’s note: The Brookings Brief will be on hiatus next week, but look out for a special edition of the newsletter in your inbox on December 30. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season! | South Korea as a global pivotal state During the 2022 South Korean election campaign, then-presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol published an article in Foreign Affairs outlining his foreign policy views. In it he wrote, “South Korea should no longer be confined to the Korean Peninsula but rise to the challenge of being what I have described as a ‘global pivotal state,’ one that advances freedom, peace, and prosperity through liberal democratic values and substantial cooperation.” How has now President Yoon put this vision of the global pivotal state (GPS) into practice? In a new policy brief, Andrew Yeo explores the Yoon administration’s concept of GPS and its implications for South Korean foreign policy and the international community. | More research and commentary Competing for Tech Hubs and other federal investments. To help advance key technologies like artificial intelligence, the Economic Development Administration announced the designation of 31 regional Tech Hubs. Francesca Ioffreda, Joseph Parilla, and Glencora Haskins share a framework for regions seeking grants from the program and other funding opportunities. The U.S. needs to recommit to conflict prevention. “Most active conflicts are not occurring in countries that rank among the top U.S. foreign policy priorities, but the destabilizing effect of these conflicts and their tendency to compound directly undermine U.S. objectives,” warns Allison Minor. | The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. | |