Regional Wars and Taiwan

It was not that long ago that it was predicted that what the United States needed to do was be prepared for “regional wars.” I’d describe the Russian invasion of Ukraine as just one example. The potential for other regional conflicts also exists in other places in the world. Pakistan and India have had a long simmering conflict that flares up occasionally over Kashmir.

And then there is Taiwan and China. As mentioned previously in other blog posts, China lays claim to the island of Taiwan as being part of China proper. Taiwan has been in the news for three different reasons: 1) the invasion of Ukraine by Russia is basically the same type of scenario. One country laying claim to the land in another and not recognizing that country as legitimate; 2) China has in recent months said that it will take Taiwan by force if necessary; 3) President Biden’s visit to Korea and Japan and his statements about our nation’s commitment to Taiwan drew attention.

To get more of a perspective on the history of Taiwan and our relationship with it both diplomatically and militarily, listen to this episode of The Daily podcast from the New York Times: “Is the U.S. Changing Its Stance on Taiwan?”

Our next major conflict could be in that region. Staying informed will make us all better citizens.