Russia’s invasion of Ukraine makes the frightening possibility of China seizing control of the island more real. As Russian tanks roll over Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s crisis will reverberate around the world, possibly most dangerously in the Taiwan Strait. An attempt by Beijing to claim Taiwan by force has just become more likely. That’s not necessarily because there is a direct link between Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Beijing’s menacing of Taiwan, but because the war for Ukraine is the most unfortunate indication yet of the frightening direction of global geopolitics: Autocrats are striking back.
With the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, the long American struggle against global authoritarian threats seemed to have been won. Just about everywhere, dictators were on the run—Indonesia, Myanmar, Brazil, South Korea, the Philippines, Chile, and even Russia itself. Globalization was working its supposed magic, spreading liberal political and economic ideals, prosperity, and, hopefully, an end to big-power confrontation. Sure, the Chinese Communist Party was entrenched in Beijing, but its cadres appeared to be partners in the global order, content to get gloriously rich and immerse themselves in the trading networks and international institutions created by the democratic powers. Continues
Do you think Taiwan will be invaded if Russia is not met with reparations?
The article describes China as " a power with increasing economic, diplomatic, and military might" would you say the same? The article describes Russia as declining in power. Do you think others view America as Declining in power?
America's power is waning. I think it is very likely that the CCP will try and invade Taiwan. Right now is the perfect time to attack, we are distracted in europe and are limited in our military might. China's GDP is also twice that of Americas, meaning they could fund the war for a lot longer. I think that the population collapse of China will occur, but they are currently strong enough to outlast us.
ReplyDeleteInteresting take Pierce. Why can't we all be friends?
DeleteWhile it's undeniable that China is more prepared for an aggression of this sort than Russia is, I hope this will serve to dissuade similar actions from CCP. It's not only the U.S. that supports Taiwan, much of the EU Union does as well. Considering the failings of RU in their aggression so far, and the outpouring of support for Ukraine (especially from other eastern EU countries) hopefully shows that an assault on Taiwan would have to deal with similar resistance.
ReplyDeleteIf, as Pierce mentioned, they aggress on Taiwan now while countries are aiding Ukraine, we'll be facing a seemingly insurmountable problem.
Well, Russia has certainly been met with repercussions. Their economy is in shambles. The Russian ruble has hit an extreme low. They've been sanction from SWIFT. Lines of Russians can be seen at ATMs withdrawing their money. I'd hate to be a Russian right now and see my life savings crash before my eyes. Whether this is enough to deter future aggression from China is questionable, but they certainly won't get off the hook.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Curtis! I have thought that the current invasion is more than likely tempting other countries to do the same, and that is honestly a scary thought. I cannot help but think that America can sometimes be a laughing matter to other countries; therefore, I do believe that some would say that America is declining in power.
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