International security

Washington's THAAD muscle flexing unmasks anxiety overdeclining hegemony

The controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude AreaDefense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula yet again betrayed Washington's deep-rooted Cold War mentality and its petty anxiety over the United States' declining global hegemony.

The Republic of Korea (ROK) last month announced plans for a U.S.-made THAAD battery to be deployed in Seongju County, 300 km southeast of Seoul, by the end of next year.

Washington claims that THAAD can help defend the ROK against potential security threats from its neighbor, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).