Taiwan and U.S. Policy

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

The United States Department of Defense characterizes China as “the pacing challenge” and a cross-Strait conflict between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) as the “pacing scenario.” Indeed, few countries face a more severe national security threat than Taiwan, a high-tech liberal democracy that the PRC aspires to absorb by subversion and intimidation if possible, and by force if necessary, using all the tools at its disposal. A former treaty ally of the United States and former permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Taiwan today is formally recognized by just twelve other countries. Its semiconductor industry and geostrategic position along the First Island Chain make it critical for global supply chains and regional sea lines of communication yet owing to a decades-long campaign by Chinese nationalists to erase its very identity, many people fail to understand its unique identity, society, and national security importance. The island’s complex and rapidly evolving political landscape adds a further layer of complication, with different parties disagreeing vehemently over how best to meet the threat posed by China, either by minimizing the threat or by highlighting it. And given Taiwan’s proximity to the PRC and Beijing’s willingness to threaten and coerce those who support Taiwan, even the island’s democratic neighbors and the United States must tread carefully, balancing their support against other equities even as they strive to avoid crossing redlines that might prompt the very conflict that they seek to deter by bolstering Taipei. This course will tackle Taiwan’s history and politics, the PRC threat, Taiwan’s national security strategy and policy choices, and the options and implications for national security policies for the United States and Taiwan’s neighbors. It will culminate with a detailed examination of how a war in the Strait might unfold and what its consequences would be for all parties. Students will come away with a deeper understanding of the potential causes of a Taiwan Strait conflict and the ability to understand and contextualize developments that occur after the conclusion of the course.