Deterrence is a beguiling concept. It offers the hope that we can prevail over our opponents without actually fighting them because our mere possession of military power will be sufficient to compel them to our will.
This seductive idea seems to be the basis of Michael Cole’s view that deterrence will allow America and its allies to defend Taiwan from China with incurring the costs and risks of conflict, and that they should therefore commit themselves to doing so. This view is set out in Michael’s most recent contribution to an exchange between us about this issue, and I’d like to …read more
Taiwan: US deterrence is failing
