Since Russia’s initial attack on Ukraine, predictions claiming that the normative order against aggressive warfare is under threat have taken over political discourse. After the US and Israel’s attack on Iran, scholars worry that an attack against Taiwan from China could be next. As normative restrictions on war loosen and with the US tied up in the Middle East, should China choose to go on the offensive Taiwan would be extra vulnerable to its attack. However, two clear developments challenge the China/Taiwan prediction. Russia, after 4 full years of war, is not likely to prevail anytime soon, and the US, despite the President’s continual assertions that it has won the war, continues to struggle for an advantage. Significant advancements in warfare technology, such as drones, might be a reason. Defensive tactics could be another. So, on today’s show, we will explore the future of warfare in light of the Russian and American wars and their current lack of success, and what the implications may be in the Pacific. [ dur: 1h18m ]
- Yvonne Chiu is a Jeane Kirkpatrick Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and serves on the board of directors for the International Society for Military Ethics. She is the author of “Strategic Ambiguity Out of Balance: Updating an Outdated Taiwan Policy” in The Strategy Bridge.
- David McCourt is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of The Dragon Defined: How Washington, Canberra, and London Reimagined China.
- Ricardo A. Crespo is Associate Professor of Political Science and the chair of the Political Economy Department at Grossmont College. He is the author of “Currency Warfare and Cyberwarfare” in Comparative Politics, and “Currency Warfare and Just War” in the Journal of Military Ethics.
- Robert Williams Professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University. He is the author of Seeking Security in an Insecure World, with Dan Caldwell.
We recorded live in front of an audience at the International Studies Association’s West Regional Conference in Pasadena, California.
This program is produced by Doug Becker, Maria Armoudian, Ankine Aghassian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.
Politics and Activism, Governance / Law, War / Weapons, Diplomacy, Militarism, Russia, Ukraine, United States, China, Iran
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