Calls by U.S. leaders to extend security guarantees to Taiwan against an aggressive China are on the rise. American pundits have likewise been eager and disturbingly casual about offering up U.S. service members to go and die for Taipei. Before taking another step down this dangerous path, however, these leaders need to consider just how willing Taiwanese are to die for their own country.
Until we have more concrete evidence that the Taiwanese are doing all they can for their own defense, all talk of America risking war with China for their benefit needs to come to a halt. There is no justification for sending American men and women to die on the seas and in the air around Taiwan when the citizens of Taiwan are themselves cool to the idea of dying for their own country.
First is the classic “show me your checkbook and I’ll show you your priorities.” The United States places great value on protecting its citizens and global interests, as evidenced by the fact that we spend more on national defense than any nation on the planet, upwards of 3.5% GDP annually.
As recently as 2016, Taiwan was spending an anemic 1.6% GDP on defense, and next year is expected to be only slightly better, at 2.1%. Evidence suggests that constant boasts by U.S. opinion leaders that the United States should give security guarantees to Taiwan leads the island’s leaders to conclude they don’t have to spend money on their own defense because they believe we will provide it for them.
Second is the extent to which the citizens are willing to serve in the armed forces and risk their lives in defense of their country. In the United States, our all-volunteer force constantly produces sufficient numbers of service personnel to fully man the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. We don’t always meet the recruiting goals but we always have sufficient numbers of personnel.
In Taiwan, by contrast, the armed services are significantly understaffed. So few Taiwanese are willing to sign up for military service, in fact, that earlier this year frontline combat units in the Taiwan military were assessed as being manned at a shockingly low 60%.
The Taipei Times newspaper conducted research a few years ago into the attitudes of the recruitment-age youth in Taiwan, finding that large numbers were “(a)pathetic toward the military and averse to service.”
One former Taiwanese Marine seemed to capture the reason for the apathy well: “I think it’s unlikely that we will go to war. If there’s no real enemy to fight against, I don’t know why military training is necessary.” Reuters reported in 2018 that 1,000 reservists over the previous three years had been charged for “dodging mandatory training.”
It is clear that considerable numbers of Taiwanese people either do not believe the threat from China is real, don’t believe their country could defeat China if it did attack, or just don’t want to “waste time” serving. Such a dynamic harkens back to the recent situation in Afghanistan where large numbers of Afghan troops would rather make deals with their enemy than to fight to the death in a fight they don’t think they could win. It therefore made no difference to the outcome that American troops did fight for them over a 20 year period.
Similarly, when the Russians annexed the Crimea in 2014, they did so without firing a shot because, like the Taliban did earlier this year, the Russians made deals with the defenders of The Crimea and likewise told them it would be pointless and futile to die fighting – when they could instead come to work for the victorious Russians. There is little reason to think some version of the same dynamic would not also exist in Taiwan if the Chinese were to attack.
If the government of Taiwan is not willing to adequately fund its military, if the Taiwanese men and women whose lives would be on the line in a war with China aren’t willing to fight for their country, it would frankly be immoral to force American men and women to die in their place for Taiwan’s defense. It is time U.S. opinion leaders and government officials stopped being so eager to offer up American troops to go into harm’s way for the benefit of another country and start being concerned for the welfare of our troops’ lives.
Now a 19FortyFive Contributing Editor, Daniel L. Davis is a Senior Fellow for Defense Priorities and a former Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army who deployed into combat zones four times. He is the author of “The Eleventh Hour in 2020 America.” Follow him @DanielLDavis1
Steven Matthews
October 21, 2021 at 1:38 pm
I don’t trade a Aircraft Carrier for Taiwan. NO WAY!!..
Commentar
October 21, 2021 at 3:46 pm
I don’t think US wants to ‘die’ for taiwan but elements representing the deep state will never let pass any opportunity to attack the mainland.
Taiwan is a place where triad influence is deeply embedded within almost all strata of society, a culture or ‘way of life’ carried over from pre-civil war days and still powerful today. US unlikely to be wanting to preserve this.
However, a clash will greatly harm the mainland since any fighting will occur here and US itself will be totally untouched.
This is the reason why china is developing and testing longer and longer ranged weaponry today. To ensure US political leaders will think twice before going into action. Combat units, including carriers, could be hit long before they arrive to reinforce strike groups already in place at the front doorstep. Remember the age-old adage, ‘it is fear that guards the vineyard (pop)’.
Ben d'Mydogtags
October 21, 2021 at 10:18 pm
You pose an empty strawman question. The true question is “Should American Soldiers be willing to die to preserve an advanced American way of life?” If Taiwan falls to the PRC, or if Taiwan is absorbed into the PRC, there will no longer remain a viable US computer industry, telecommunications industry, automotive industry or industrial equipment industry. Taiwan produces a huge share of the semiconductors needed for these and many other industries. Semiconductor factories are highly specialized and US based factories cannot be readily converted to produce what Taiwan makes. Building new factories in the US, Europe or elsewhere to replace Taiwan would require a decade and a hundred trillion dollar investment, if it could be done at all.
Similarly, if the US allows Taiwan to be taken our alliance network in the Pacific will need to ‘change its calculus.’ There will be much more accommodation of the PRC and much less cooperation with the US. The US depends on Japan, S Korea and Vietnam and Canada for manufactured products and on Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Canada and others for raw materials. The PRC has never been shy about strong-arming other countries. A strengthened PRC and weakened USA could deprive the US of resources not just from Taiwan but the Indo-Pacific writ large. Europe, Middle East and Africa could also be at risk.
David Chang
October 21, 2021 at 11:41 pm
Experts on strategy and tactic make mistakes in the calculation of total war. They think that the calculation of socialism party is about morality, just like us.
From Vietnam, Afghan, to China, socialism party always induce United States to join in foreign civil war,
they tell people in Asia that U.S. Navy is the fleet invincible,
and U.S. soldiers are set up to the illusion.
Since 60 years ago, United States explained clearly to all people in the world that United States can join the foreign war, and U.S. military should have sufficient troops and transportation capabilities, and should not make the total war easily.
In the past few years of U.S. defense budget debate, Trump wants to recall foreign defensive troops, and prepare tactic and strategy forces, but Biden’s socialism policy is destroying the defense abilities of people in United States.
According to the one-China policy of President Trump, people in United States hope that people in China will be the free country like United States.
One world under God, the President of the Republic of China should avoid the total war.
So we should cooperate each other to avoid total war in the end.
U.S. Navy don’t go into traps that enemy has set up, but improve the space safety and ASW.
If Navy concentrates on defending the border, people in the world will pray to God for peace together.
Phil
October 22, 2021 at 12:15 am
“Until we have more concrete evidence that the Taiwanese are doing all they can for their own defense, all talk of America risking war with China for their benefit needs to come to a halt.”
You do realize it was the United States that shut down Taiwan’s nuclear weapons program in the 80’s ?
“Before taking another step down this dangerous path, however, these leaders need to consider just how willing Taiwanese are to die for their own country.”
The black bats squadron flew hundred of missions over mainland China and lost 2/3 of their pilots. They were followed by the black cats who monitored Chinese nuclear testing.
“There is little reason to think some version of the same dynamic would not also exist in Taiwan if the Chinese were to attack.”
Except Crimea is an ethnically Russian peninsula attached to Russia, while Taiwan is an island 85% populated by min-nan dialect speaking native Taiwanese.
BP
October 22, 2021 at 2:35 am
Agree – why should American die or let their sons and daughters die bcs of the Chinese civil war. Its the war between the two Chinese’s. Our goal should be to increase the welfare of the American people (like what the Chinese has done in the last few decades).
Besides, there are tens of millions of Chinese willing to die to Taiwan reunification – how many of us citizens willing to die for the cause ?
Thomas Sites
October 22, 2021 at 9:28 am
I must respectfully disagree with the author and some of the comments. Failure to defend Taiwan impacts significant US interests. In particular, China’s control of Taiwan makes it even harder to protect open navigation rights in the South China Sea. A substantial percentage of trade is shipped through that Sea. And as former Sec. of State Henry Kissinger wrote, China’s long-term (now mid-term) plan is to isolate the US’s trade and relations away from southern Asian countries. The long-term goal for China, per Kissinger, remains to economically isolate the US to weaken the US economically. This would allow China to be the world’s economic and military lone super power.
Whether we want to back off from our various commitments needs to be seriously addressed and discussed
John Richardson
October 22, 2021 at 9:29 am
Look at a map before you write idiocy. Free advice.
Or do you want China expanding into the Pacific even further?
Stefan Stackhouse
October 22, 2021 at 10:26 am
I sometimes get the distinct impression that many of the people in the national security and foreign policy agencies and think tanks act like they are playing a game of “Risk”. This is real life, and it is deadly serious.
The US needs a defense that defends. That doesn’t mean fighting other people’s wars for them. I wish the people of Taiwan well, but if they want to resist domination by the PRC, then they need to fight for themselves. It isn’t that easy to take an island the size of Taiwan so far offshore. Taiwan has enough people, a prosperous enough economy, and enough technical know-how that they should be able to successfully defend themselves against anything that the PRC might try. It really should be up to them.
What if they are not up to it, or just fail to do what it takes? What if the PRC one day successfully takes control of Taiwan? That might be MARGINALLY disadvantageous for the US. It hardly represents the crumbling of our entire strategic and defensive position. We can adjust. One of the advantages of having strategic depth is that you do have space that you can afford to lose. That is why we have extended our strategic depth clear across the ocean. That is also why China would like to have a little more strategic depth for itself. We can live with their gaining a little more and our having a little less. It is not at all certain that we can live with a conflict with the PRC that might spiral totally out of control.
NorEastern
October 22, 2021 at 11:56 am
Would any US soldier actually die helping to defend Taiwan? Probably not. 100 long miles of high seas across the Straight of Taiwan harassed by US Virginia class SSNs and stealth aircraft. The attrition rate of Chinese troops could be 25% before they encounter Taiwan’s defenses. The probability of China targeting any of those extremely stealthy platforms is minimal. And Xi is fully aware that the CCP could fall after such a debacle.
Gas Passer
October 22, 2021 at 12:25 pm
I agree with NorEastern except Joe Biden owes his allegiance to the CCP.
Gas Passer
October 22, 2021 at 12:42 pm
Joe Biden owes his allegiance to the CCP. Look what he’s doing to his military and country.
Don T
October 22, 2021 at 12:50 pm
China will take Taiwan. could be next week or could be in 10 years but it will happen with no regard as to which criminal party is in charge in the white house. the big Taiwan chip maker TSMC is building plants in China so China will have their chip making capabilities without a war.
Gas Passer
October 22, 2021 at 1:00 pm
Moderator…did I say something untruthful? You’re an Ahole for cherry-picking what others might want to comment on. Loser!
Rick
October 22, 2021 at 1:06 pm
1945 seems to run a lot of click bait articles like this which are unbelievably shallow. This is the second from this “analyst” in about a month.
Should Taiwan be doing more for it’s defense? Sure! Now how about America and our military leaders focused on “understanding white rage”, critical race theory, generals who do their best to help take out a president they don’t like, say they’ll warn adversarial nations if a military strike is ordered? First the incredibly dangerous debacle of Afghanistan – and a few days ago we find out about Communist China’s hypersonic missiles… which military intelligence didn’t have a clue existed.
Has this author written ANYTHING remotely critical of OUR military failures and weaknesses? You know, analytically thinking we could end up with a confrontation with Communist China without any Taiwan involvement whatsoever?
How about the analyst’s conclusions on the impact of Communist China taking Taiwan without our firing a shot? The impact on our military, never mind our country as a whole with the loss of that source of critical computing firmware?
Clickbait; shallow clickbait at best. But obviously it worked – or I wouldn’t be here posting this.
tony
October 22, 2021 at 1:07 pm
the question is the wrong one, after all taiwan is not the issue, but letting taiwan fall would end the us as a pacific power. Apart from telling all those countries that the PRC is the only power they have to contend with it.
@noreastern, really, you expect us forces to operate really close to the mainland and not suffer losses, plus right now only the b2 can reach that area from guam without massive tanker support
@Daniel Davis
the taiwan budget reflects to an extend the willingness to sell weapons to, uptill the trump government the us was very reluctant to sell, and even trump only offered limited supplies, for taiwan to have a chance it would need a lot more
Joe Comment
October 22, 2021 at 1:09 pm
The US has not locked itself into a specific response if the Mainland tries to annex Taiwan, and that flexibility is important. There are a lot of important things at stake besides Taiwan itself. The Mainland has a sense of entitlement to Taiwan and believes that justifies the use of force, but the people on Taiwan do not agree. There are a lot of such disputes in the world. Can North Korea or South Korea use force to resolve the Korean split? Can Japan use force to retake the islands it disputes with Russia and South Korea? Can the Philippines or Vietnam use force to retake the islands they dispute with China? Can India use force to retake the territories it disputes with China? Once the world starts accepting force as the solution to these problems, what will prevent the entire neighborhood from going up in smoke? If the Mainland and Taiwan both want to create something new that includes both, let them agree to it peacefully. Anything different is a challenge to us all.
Just thinking
October 22, 2021 at 1:50 pm
US put itself in a very awkward position. In any conflict with China anything beside absolute victory would in fact be a defeat.
I think that in a time frame post-2025 US has almost a zero chance to fend off attack from the mainland, with Japan and Australia included.
With current industrial base, and this can’t change in a less than 10-15 years, China could replace its losses faster than the US. It is very likely that 3rd and 7th fleet would come out of any conflict obliterated and replacement would be years if not decades ago.
Even if one takes a look at AUKUS – this is nothing more that strategic withdrawal from the First Island Chain as it seems it become a clear to many that it become impossible to defend.
Australia will not get any submarines in years anyway.
One very important piece of the calculus – under no circumstances Russians would allow China to be defeated and would probably tip the balance in any conflict in a case it becomes protracted one.
Bill
October 22, 2021 at 1:55 pm
I agree, no US troops should die defending Taiwan. However, the US should have been selling much more weaponry to Taiwan so that they could defend themselves. During the Obama administration funding for Taiwan military was cut, so that the US would not upset the Chinese. Trump increased but not nearly enough. Biden has not done much to help Taiwan, sending mixed messages that the US would not do a thing if China attacked. The Taiwanese should have developed an arsenal of nuclear missiles. This would be the only way to prevent an attack by China, which certainly will occur during the Biden administration.
Major Kong
October 22, 2021 at 2:24 pm
If China takes Taiwan, what next? Will it be Japan, Guam, Wake Island, Philippines,Hong Kong, Malaya, Burma, Aluetian Islands just as the Japanese did during WWII and then invade Vietnam, Burma, Australia, Hawaii and possibly India? We now know that China has the capability of launching nuclear missiles at us, so where do we draw the line for Chia’s expansion?
wlt
October 22, 2021 at 3:29 pm
China is unlikely to attack Taiwan because an attack on the semiconductor industry would be an attack on any disapproving parties that have shares or is part of the supply chain.
Taiwan’s only importance to the US is that it makes semiconductors that go into products US companies sell. Instead of selling old weapons, deploying troops abroad, and looking for a fight, the US could look inwards and invest that money in building a world class semiconductor industry at home. It certainly has the money and patents to do so. Then, the US’s semiconductor industry would be the one nobody wants to attack.
And for Private Joe Schmoe, working in a thriving industry would beat fighting in a war that he nor his family know why he’s there or understand the decades, if not centuries, of historical context in the region.
Justin McCarthy
October 22, 2021 at 4:34 pm
China takes over Taiwan and uses it as a platform to project power deeper into the Pacific. This outflanks Japan permitting China to interdict Japan’s supply lines and changes the balance of power to the detriment of the U.S.; possibly forcing Japan into the Chinese sphere or into hard neutrality as a subordinate tributary nation to China. Japan is now aligned with the US. Because it is in its interest. Best to keep it that way.
We defend Taiwan because it is in U.S. interest to defend Taiwan and maintain the integrity of the balance of powers aligned to contain China. In the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan, Japan is the frontline with its very capable Navy in the thick of it. Demonstrating U.S. resolve to maintain Taiwan’s independence goes a long way toward avoiding said conflict. We should encourage Taiwan to up its defense as we are.
cheddar baggins
October 22, 2021 at 6:29 pm
“Why should American boys fight French wars for them?”
This article could have been written by Neville Chamberlain. We must be pragmatic in deploying American power, but we must never, never willingly surrender ground, treasure, water, nor allies to aggressive, expansionist, totalitarian regimes like the one ruling in Mainland China. We must protect the Real China, tiny Taiwan, from the vicious Communists.
Robert Anthony
October 22, 2021 at 9:00 pm
We wouldn’t necessarily have to go to war with China to keep China from invading Taiwan, or to get China to leave Taiwan if we wait too late to act.
What China most fears from America, and the American military move they are working the hardest to counter is a U.S. naval blockade of China’s eastern seaboard. And, right now, we could impose a naval blockade and there is very little China could do to end that blockade except to acquiesce to whatever our demands are.
Of course, if we establish a blockade, enforcing if might mean firing across the bow of, and possibly needing to sink a few Chinese blockade running ships, but hampering the free transit across the South China Sea of Chinese ships would not be China’s real problem. The real problem for China would be that they are dependent on the import of petroleum products by ship to fuel their industry, and the importation if food stuffs to adequately feed their 1.3 billion citizens.
If China did decide to try to sink the U.S. Naval vessels engaged in the blockade, even if they sank every ship, which is not even a possibility, we keep, permanently, on station in and around the South China Sea, ten nuclear attack submarines that Chinese anti-submarine planes would have no realistic chance of destroying even if a U.S. naval armada was not blockading their coastline.
Even if only one U.S. nuclear attack submarine remained to hold station off the coast of China, that would be more than enough to keep every foreign ship from daring to venture into the South China Sea to deliver to China the petroleum or food-stuffs that modern China cannot survive without.
That is just one reason that our navy is our most important branch of the U.S. military, and naval power is the reason China will never become the world’s only superpower, or even a rival to our status as a superpower. We will only lose that status as the result of internal strife.
So, in theory at least, we could mount an effective naval blockade of the Chinese coastline with a single U.S. nuclear attack submarine as long as foreign nations were convinced that running our blockade would result in the sinking of their cargo ships.
Naval blockade stay highly effective because only the ability to wipe out all vessels of the blockading nation will effectively end a naval blockade, and China would have no hope of being able to do that.
So, yes, we might lose a few sailors, airmen. or marines, but we also might not lose any. We didn’t lose any when Kennedy blockaded communist Cuba, or if we lost even one I don’t recall that, and I think we would still be honoring that sailor as a hero. And, everyone joining the U.S. Navy has to already know that during times of military conflict there are no safe jobs in the U.S. Navy, which is one reason they are among my heroes.
Let the communists in China invade and conquer Taiwan? No. Hell NO!
China hasn’t replaced America yet as the world’s one and only superpower. And, even blindfolded and with one arm tied behind our collective back, as we are now with a senile and mean-spirited little curmudgeon of a president in charge, we can still easily deter or defeat China’s dreams of new foreign conquests, despite everything America’s enemies, foreign and domestic, might think to the contrary.
jespin
October 22, 2021 at 9:46 pm
“If the government of Taiwan is not willing to adequately fund its military, if the Taiwanese men and women whose lives would be on the line in a war with China aren’t willing to fight for their country, it would frankly be immoral to force American men and women to die in their place for Taiwan’s defense. ”
@ Daniel Davis
To your point, this quote is already quite ambiguous of who is fighting for what.
The “government of Taiwan” is the Republic of China. Of course, 99% of the world has not officially recognized the government for over 40 years. Despite the US-like media-fueled left-right polarization on Taiwan, the Republic of China has had no reason to pick a real fight with the People’s Republic of China since the 60’s, when the then military regime considered reinvading the Mainland. Even then, the hostilities were along Kinmen and Matsu islands, which are on the Mainland side of the Taiwan Strait and the US held them back from escalating. So, in that regard, for decades nobody on Taiwan has had it in their mind to “fight for their country”.
If fighting for their country implies a Taiwan independence movement that creates a Republic of Taiwan, that has both internal and external obstacles. Externally, the UN would be unlikely to recognize this new political entity because China has veto power on the Security Council and Russia has poured cold water on the idea as well. Not to mention, US support for independence would violate the One China policy that US-China relations are built on. Internally on Taiwan, there is not enough political support to make such a drastic change. Regardless of political beliefs, most people are busy enough trying to get by in the stagnant economy. And a sizeable portion of the population would consider such a move to be a coup.
So, if there comes a day that US troops are fighting with locals to defend their country, there was probably a coup on Taiwan, not all the locals would be happy about it, it violated multiple international agreements, it went against the UN Security Council, there may be no country that wants to trade with them, and the US broke ties with China.
And short of a shooting war, a US troop presence in the region would be the usual power competition to serve US interests, which is what the military does. Though, it wouldn’t affect Taiwan interests all that much.
Brian McCarthy
October 22, 2021 at 10:43 pm
The critical question here is how much China is paying him and the commenters who support him in undermining American resolve? I’m way past accepting the good intentions excuse for treason any more.
Andrew
October 22, 2021 at 11:34 pm
There are some good comments here.
On an individual opinion basis, the Author makes some good points. I’ve always been surprised by how little Taiwan spends, compared to say, Israel or Singapore, which have smaller populations but spend more on defence.
But it’s the strategic issue that matters- the semi conductor industry and it’s alliance with Japan.
Taiwan is like the middle east- it has a vitally important commodity the US needs. China already controls rare earths and a vast amount of manufacturing. Imagine giving it control of the very thing 21st century life revolves around.
In addition, once China has Taiwan, you might as well withdraw from Okinawa. Because no one believes China won’t threaten to choke Japan at every opportunity. It’ll simply take over every little island by little island, just like they did with Scarborough Island from the Philippines (which PH asked the US for help, and Obama refused). This will cause a huge decline in the hard and soft power of the US, and eventually push it back the the Americas.
So it’s not just whether 100% of the Taiwanese are willing to take up arms.
Sea Dog
October 23, 2021 at 12:21 am
I agree… so why not just GIVE Taiwan 50 tactical nuclear weapons and the mobile missiles and training to employ them. I doubt XI would risk losing Shanghai, Beijing, or several other mega Chinese cities if he thought he might by attacking Taiwan.
temp
October 23, 2021 at 1:59 am
Nice to see a number of people in the comments have an understanding of what taiwan gives to the world.
The author of this piece seems to have a complete lack of understanding of the strategic assets and power plays being done in this section of the world.
First as covered well by Ben d’Mydogtags semi-conductors and computer tech is huge if china takes taiwan. Not only will you see a huge reduction in global supply of at least 30%. You you see a massive leap in china tech. In CPU tech alone they will advance 30 years or more. Not to mention GPUs, programing and so much more. Further they will have massive “for free” infrastructure gains.
Which is the whole point of a lot of the propaganda being paid for to prevent the US from defending taiwan and encouraging it to surrender peacefully.
Much like Hong Kong, china see this take over in one of two ways. Either 1. WE(china) take it all intact and pumping out the money and tech. Or 2. WE(china) maintain the status quo.
No shades of grey at all in the way china will handle this.
If china attacks taiwan and taiwan burns half its industry down what benefit does china get…. basically nothing. China would lose access to all that tech and the semi-conductors which it needs. This would crush huge sections of china’s economy and military. Much like with hong kong if they burned most of it to the ground china would have never tried to take it, because what value would it give them? China instead of getting nothing from hong kong could just keep collecting the payments from a “free” hong kong. Between something and nothing china will choose to wait and take something until it can take it all.
Taiwan is exactly the same. The want it intact. If they can’t get it intact then they will wait, period. This whole thing is a massive bluff more to taiwan then the US. They want taiwan to feel isolated much the way hong kong became, and have a “peaceful” and very profit change of power. The moment it looks like taiwan will burn china will back off.
Not to mention things like honor, commitment to our allies and a host of other things that our leaders seem to be dragging through the dirt as much as possible. If taiwan is taken by china intact it will effectively start the clock on when china will attack the US.
roddy6667
October 23, 2021 at 2:51 am
China will peacefully reunite with Taiwan. Just a few years ago the sentiment on the island was almost 50% for reunification. With the American economy spiraling downward and the US continuing to wage wars of aggression, The Taiwanese people will eventually throw their lot with other Asians.They will choose China over the US in an election.
John Hinman
October 23, 2021 at 5:57 am
The worlds leading free nations should all be there in a massive combined effort to let China know that the days of Barbaric land grabbing from other people is over.
The last Country that felt they could just trample over a sovereign Nation and claim it theirs was Iraq taking Kuwait.
That was handled with an overwhelming coalition that restored the countries to pre invasion status.
China must be made aware that they will be met with an overwhelming force that they know they can not defeat, deterring them from taking any foolish action.
John Frost
October 23, 2021 at 7:50 am
This is a really silly article. All of the points you made about Taiwanese apathy could also be made about NATO. Almost ALL NATO nations spend less than 2% of GDP on defense, most of them (especially the Germans) think Russia would never attack them, and all of their militaries are understaffed and underequipped. So, by your logic, why should Americans be a part of NATO, let alone want to fight for it? Sometimes people don’t value their freedom until it’s gone. Just look at the people of Hong Kong. Their freedom was guaranteed by treaty with the UK. And how did that work out for them recently?
Stefan Stackhouse
October 23, 2021 at 9:55 am
There is life after death! The old, thoroughly discredited “Domino Theory” of the 1960s has been resurrected and lives again. Now it is the Chinese, for whom Taiwan would only be the first step. Watch out, Hawaii!
Really, people. This is just the old logical fallacy of the “Slippery Slope Theory”. Don’t be taken in by it. We have a monument with fifty-eight thousand names on it from the last time we did that.
John C
October 23, 2021 at 11:33 am
Davis is an anti-American Obamunist. Mao would be proud of him.
BC
October 23, 2021 at 10:40 pm
Chicken Hawks love to send other Americans abroad to get their brains splattered by an enemy bullet or their legs vaporized by an enemy land mine, while the civilian Chicken Hawk stays home, posting tough-talking editorials or chest-thumping messages on social media.
A man of integrity, aware of the high price tag attached to his visions of military glory, will do one of two things. One, volunteer for combat. Two, promote international peace. Peacemaking being more morally elevated than warmongering, volunteering for combat is hardly “morally equivalent” to promoting international peace, but it is at least internally consistent and evidence of integrity.
Chicken Hawks choose neither. They choose instead to foist the human cost of their Walter Mitty day dreams onto hapless strangers. These Profiles in Courage are painfully aware that rather than return from the front line physically intact like the invincible, invulnerable “action figures” portrayed by Sly and Ah-nuld, they would likely return with essential parts of their bodies missing, like wheelchair-bound Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, assuming they return at all.
The Chicken Hawk boasts of “Benevolent Global Hegemony” and “The Unipolar Moment,” but scuttles for cover like a cockroach when asked personally to maintain the “unparalleled American military supremacy” he so stridently and self-righteously demands. Is this really the meaning of patriotism? Does this really represent the American Way?
David Chang
October 24, 2021 at 1:47 am
Thank you, Mr. Davis.
I agree with you that we should not sacrifice our lives in order to help people who don’t trust God.
And we should oppose the political education of socialism party in the War College, and let soldier remembers the grace of God and his mission.
Let people get morality education from Bible, and reduce government expenditures.
Democratic Republican Party should protect people in America firs, because of truth to be self-evident.
Because of the advice of Mr. Washington to the Democratic Republican Party, the difference between United States and other countries is that people in America thank for God’s grace.
But total war is Manifesto of Socialism, so we should oppose it, and people in the world should be under God.
So, people in the world will pray to God.
The end of war desolations are determined, go our way until the end be.
May God’s mercy on all people.
JJ
December 16, 2021 at 8:48 am
Show me your bank statments, pal. Bet the Chinese Communist Party signs your checks.