Terence (Terry) Roehrig
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tjroehrig.bsky.social
Terence (Terry) Roehrig
@tjroehrig.bsky.social

Lecturer at UW-Madison in Poli Sci and Prof Emeritus at US Naval War College - Work on Korea/Asia-Pacific politics & security, ROK-US alliance, NK nuclear weapons, NLL, deterrence, maritime security. All posts are my own views. .. more

Political science 58%
Sociology 23%

But are they your shoes? 😎
The U.S. is imposing a 25% tariff on Korea because of trade deficits that it claims are "engendered by Korea's Tariff and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers." But Korea has a free trade agreement with the U.S. It charges zero tariffs on nearly everything.

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Happy Mother's Day to all the Badger moms and mother-figures in our lives 💕

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Alongside all the concerns about Pete Hegseth's character and competence, I've worried most about whether he'd follow an unlawful order from Trump for the US military to use force at home. When it's time to confirm the next Sec of Defense, the Senate must hold the nominee to a very high standard.
Exclusive: The White House is looking to replace Pete Hegseth as defense secretary
This comes as Hegseth is again mired in controversy over sharing military operational details in a group chat.
www.npr.org
Steve Kerr wore a Harvard basketball shirt after the Warriors’ win tonight: “Yes, this is me supporting Harvard. Way to go. Way to stand up to the bully.”
Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions - rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking steps to make sure students can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope others follow suit.

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I remain in awe of the blatant cruelty of the Trump admin. Policy change and even disruption to a degree is understandable. But why is it so intentionally cruel? Is this what the US has been reduced to? Is the country devoid of empathy? 1/

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04...
Trump Live Updates: U.S. and El Salvador Won’t Return Wrongly Deported Man
www.nytimes.com
Here's a story from South Korea that can inspire the "Hands Off!" events taking place in the United States: how a mix of street protests and responsive democratic institutions prevailed in a political crisis.
How ​South Korea’s Democracy Prevailed Over a Reckless Leader (Gift Article)
The rise and fall of Yoon Suk Yeol exposed a vulnerability in South Korean democracy, but also a resilience. Its people were always ready to fight for it.
www.nytimes.com

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Trump's latest vague comments on Kim Jong Un will add to worries in S Korea about being bypassed in any potential US-N Korea diplomacy, especially with the fate of impeached and suspended SK president Yoon still uncertain. Trump might hold off on N Korea until S Korea has a president in power again.
Trump says there's 'communication' with N.K. leader Kim | Yonhap News Agency
By Song Sang-ho WASHINGTON, March 31 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday...
en.yna.co.kr

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The court victory yesterday for South Korea's Democratic Party leader smooths the way for him to run again for the presidency. But further cases against him are pending, and the real cliffhanger is this: when will the Constitutional Court decide the fate of impeached and suspended president Yoon?
DPK leader to strengthen grip on party following court's acquittal
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), was found not guilty of violating the election law, in a ruling that could remove long-running le...
www.koreatimes.co.kr

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Mark Kelly is a retired Navy pilot, astronaut, and dedicated public servant. He is a hero.

Elon Musk is a self-absorbed coward.

Hope that clears things up.

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The only good that could possibly emerge from the disgraceful Oval Office ambush against Zelenskyy would be for public opinion in the US and worldwide to turn so decisively against Trump that pressure finally builds in Washington to stop all the damage from his wrecking ball of a presidency.
‘A spectacle to horrify the world’: what the papers say about Trump and Vance’s meeting with Zelenskyy
The shocking and unprecedented scenes in the Oval Office dominate UK front pages today, with the papers united in horror
www.theguardian.com

Very sad!!!
Unilateral surrender by Trumpist appeasers.

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Unilateral surrender by Trumpist appeasers.

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This sounds completely fabricated.

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⚡️ The historic moment of Estonia leaving the Russian-fed power grid.

On February 8, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia left Russia and Belarus energy system. By the end of the day today, they will have joined the European grid.
America’s allies should be deeply concerned about Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing. America’s enemies, meanwhile, are almost certainly laughing in amazement at their unexpected good fortune.
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
The Hegseth Hearing Was a National Embarrassment
America’s allies and enemies watched as Trump’s pick for the secretary of defense failed to quell concerns about his character and qualifications.
www.theatlantic.com

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On Thursday I submitted a manuscript that I hope will be my 11th authored/coauthored book. I write books that deal with the presidency — I’ve never felt a greater sense of urgency about the fate of that office and of the entire American experiment. We’ve had mediocrities before but never someone

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FWIW, here's a 1970 version of that apocryphal Thomas Jefferson prayer that Mike Johnson read in the House of Representatives today. It appeared in The Cross and the Flag, the magazine of Gerald LK Smith, a white supremacist & Christian Nationalist who was America's most notorious antisemite.

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Next year my publisher will be issuing a new printing of ‘The Lost Soul of the American Presidency’ that includes a new preface written after the recent presidential election. Needless to say, things have gotten worse.

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Negotiation and compromise are basic political tools for a president dealing with an adversarial legislature. Executive orders can be another. Not sending in the military.
President justifies martial law, blames opposition for chaos
President Yoon Suk Yeol justified his short-lived martial law, calling it a decisive act of governance that is not subject to investigation or judicial review and does not amount to rebellion.
www.koreatimes.co.kr

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This is apparently (unconfirmed) a poll from a Korea University message board, with 6.7% opposing Yoon’s impeachment, with 14.1% supporting impeachment + Lee Jae-myung becoming president, and 79.2% wanting impeachment + Lee not becoming president

Thanks @lindsaypcohn.bsky.social ; you are far too kind! Looking forward to engaging on Blsky
One of the best English-language experts on the politics of the Korean peninsula has joined Blsky just in time to help those of us non-experts understand what’s happening in the ROK:

@tjroehrig.bsky.social has joined Blsky! Let’s give him a follow!

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One of the best English-language experts on the politics of the Korean peninsula has joined Blsky just in time to help those of us non-experts understand what’s happening in the ROK:

@tjroehrig.bsky.social has joined Blsky! Let’s give him a follow!