Syncretism means the bringing together what may seem disparate but in reality are elements that forge a stronger alloy or combination. It also might be termed work to complement substitutes or opposites. In particular contexts, its magnetism is sagacity or prudence.
These days, one can see the familiar signs of syncretism and sagacity in Korean international relations. I read with interest that South Korea has begun moving its container ships through the Red Sea, bypassing the morass that has become the Strait of Hormuz. According to The New Arab on April 17, South Korea has obtained a three-month supply of 270 million barrels of oil.
I’d speculate that what South Korea is doing needs to be imitated more widely. If anything is clear from the hubris of Israel and America’s current embargo, as well as Iran’s gamesmanship in the Strait, it is the world’s overdependence on one trade route. It’s heinous and ridiculous. I say that the Red Sea route and others need to be identified and built. These are mind-boggling in cost and other challenges, but they would also represent competition for the long term.
While the rest of the world picks whether to side with Israel or Iran or the Palestinians, among others, the conflict with Iran has brought inflation and stagnation in global trade. Arguably, the Strait of Hormuz is an international trade conduit and should be “owned,” “operated” and “secured” in that sense. However, 21st century humanity hasn’t matured enough to consider many sovereign territories and waters anew and to organize human commerce and transportation under a new form of authority. Another example of this kind of site for conflict and cooperation would be the South China Sea.
While remaining faithful to her alliance commitments, South Korea begins to explore how to obtain consensus for developing nuclear submarines. North Korea has significant naval and submarine capabilities. In an era where international security requires the active investments of allies, this is a sensible development, though not without risks.
While not easy, the present South Korean leadership has continued to meet the demands of the Trump administration in terms of trade and “structural excess capacity” without damaging national interests. The $350 billion promise given last fall shows the lengths to which a nation practicing syncretism may need to go. Korea may gain more from its investments than it pays out.
Whether it be by virtue of alternations in regime tactics toward China or viewed more longitudinally as a permanent possibility and tendency, South Korea has done better for its people’s interests and for peace by pursuing a more open line for strategic cooperation with its powerful neighbor. With the Trump administration effectively sitting out further dalliances with Pyongyang, it serves the cause of peace to act for security on the peninsula and in the region with China. The same would be true for South Korea’s meeting with Japanese naval leaders to pursue similar avenues of cooperation. North Korea has naval capabilities and despite Kim Jong-un’s love of bombast and fascination with nukes and missiles, it would use asymmetric warfare methods like tunnels, drones and hidden submarines. The Axis for Autocracy is busy cooperating and facilitating each other’s development of these capabilities and sharing stockpiles. We see this in the Ukrainian and Iranian conflicts today.
South Korea’s syncretic potential is not a matter of partisanship but rather reason, which is the prerogative of no particular political persuasion but of men and women who understand political reality. From long ago, South Korea has done better for the interests of its people in the long term by understanding the contours of power and influence with other countries like China, Japan and the United States. It has learned to weave the fabric of prudent actions into relations with stronger powers, thereby rising to the status of an advanced democracy and independent society.
Various philosophers past and present know that today’s friend may be tomorrow’s enemy, or neutral-acting partner. Accordingly, cultivating syncretism through sagacity will remain a policy matrix of benefit to those who intend to follow reason and rationality for the public good.
Bernard Rowan is Associate Provost, Chicago State University, and professor of political science. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and past visiting professor at the Hanyang University Graduate School of Public Administration.
Source: Korea Times News
