US troops in South Korea may prolong rather than deter the Korean conflict

Evidence

But there may be an equally strong, if not stronger, case to be made that the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea has prolonged the conflict and a war that has never technically ended. From North Korea’s perspective, having the world’s most powerful military on its doorstep seems like good reason to build up its military power—and a nuclear capability—rather than working to de-escalate the conflict. For China, there’s similarly good reason to prop up North Korea, given that the dissolution of the North and reunification of Korea could put tens of thousands of U.S. forces—already on the Asian mainland—onto the Chinese border. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 1045

Categorization

• XREF: The deterrence-versus-prolongation tension parallels security dilemma dynamics Vine could connect to earlier chapters on how bases generate regional arms buildups. — connects to: US officials may have interests in perpetuating the Korean war state
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 1045

Broader Connections

• US officials may have interests in perpetuating the Korean war state #corroborates (0.85)