Biden Is Right: The United States Must Defend Taiwan
If Washington’s position is that it would defend Taiwan militarily it should communicate this to Beijing clearly, regardless of the political fallout that might ensue.
The traditional U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity is no longer optimal. While the United States does not have an interest in encouraging Taiwan to declare independence, and this policy has not changed, the United States does have a more compelling interest in deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan and making sure Beijing is clear about U.S. intentions to defend Taiwan. Biden’s clarity was needed and we can only hope that Washington and Taipei have an effective strategy to respond quickly enough to a Chinese attack.
Gregory J. Moore (PhD University of Denver) is Professor of Global Studies and Politics at Colorado Christian University. In addition to many articles on politics, international relations, and Chinese and American foreign policy, he is the author of Human Rights and US Policy Toward China from a Christian Perspective (Crossroads/CPJ, 1999), author/editor of North Korean Nuclear Operationality: Regional Security and Non-Proliferation (Johns Hopkins, 2014), and author of Niebuhrian International Relations: The Ethics of Foreign Policymaking (Oxford, 2020).
Image: Reuters.