DIGITAL MAGAZINE

March 2023

DIGITAL MAGAZINE

March 2023

Cover by Thomas Gaulkin.

Unify the Mother Country Chinese propaganda poster 1978

Introduction: How to negotiate the China-Taiwan impasse

US policy on Taiwan has always been a balancing act that includes some measure of military deterrence. Beyond that, the experts disagree.
Unify the Mother Country Chinese propaganda poster 1978

Introduction: How to negotiate the China-Taiwan impasse

US policy on Taiwan has always been a balancing act that includes some measure of military deterrence. Beyond that, the experts disagree.
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament protest in London, 1983

How to avoid nuclear war with China

There is a significant probability a war between China and the United States could escalate to nuclear threats. It is urgent that the two countries launch talks on nuclear arms control, both to prevent a nuclear arms race and to reassure each other that both want to avoid a nuclear conflict.
US Navy ships re-fueling at sea in the South China Sea.

Deterring a Chinese military attack on Taiwan

There is a growing risk of a military attack on Taiwan by mainland China to achieve what the latter terms “reunification.” Taiwan, the US, and Japan must urgently and interactively prepare for this contingency—which is also the best way of deterring it.

To reassure Taiwan and deter China, the US should learn from history

The intricate history between the US and Taiwan suggests that a new and effective US policy toward Taiwan needs to include both credible military deterrence of China and clear reassurances for Taiwan.
flight operations aboard USS Nimitz in South China Sea

The United States and stability in the Taiwan Strait

For more than four decades, the “one-China policy” of the US has allowed Washington to maintain unofficial ties with Taipei. But China’s growing economic power, increasing military capabilities, and mounting pressure on Taiwan pose major challenges to US security commitments regarding Taiwan.

The trouble with Taiwan

There are many dimensions to the unfolding crisis over Taiwan’s future status—and the wisest US policy is one of realism and restraint in order to avert a disaster of global proportions.

The war in Ukraine shows the game-changing effects of drones depends on the game

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to the first large-scale, high-intensity war where both sides have extensively deployed military and commercial drones. But do drones really offer a “game-changing effect” on warfare? The answer is: It depends.

Nerds, ninjas, and neutrons: The story of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team

Recently declassified material and other information that has never before appeared in the public domain allow a glimpse into the workings of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team —often one of the first agencies to respond whenever there is an incident involving a nuclear weapon or a nuclear reactor.

Nuclear Notebook: Chinese nuclear weapons, 2023

We estimate that China’s stockpile now includes roughly 410 nuclear warheads, with more in production. The stockpile is expected to increase significantly in the next decade but remains significantly smaller than that of Russia or the United States.
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament protest in London, 1983

How to avoid nuclear war with China

There is a significant probability a war between China and the United States could escalate to nuclear threats. It is urgent that the two countries launch talks on nuclear arms control, both to prevent a nuclear arms race and to reassure each other that both want to avoid a nuclear conflict.
US Navy ships re-fueling at sea in the South China Sea.

Deterring a Chinese military attack on Taiwan

There is a growing risk of a military attack on Taiwan by mainland China to achieve what the latter terms “reunification.” Taiwan, the US, and Japan must urgently and interactively prepare for this contingency—which is also the best way of deterring it.

To reassure Taiwan and deter China, the US should learn from history

The intricate history between the US and Taiwan suggests that a new and effective US policy toward Taiwan needs to include both credible military deterrence of China and clear reassurances for Taiwan.
flight operations aboard USS Nimitz in South China Sea

The United States and stability in the Taiwan Strait

For more than four decades, the “one-China policy” of the US has allowed Washington to maintain unofficial ties with Taipei. But China’s growing economic power, increasing military capabilities, and mounting pressure on Taiwan pose major challenges to US security commitments regarding Taiwan.

The trouble with Taiwan

There are many dimensions to the unfolding crisis over Taiwan’s future status—and the wisest US policy is one of realism and restraint in order to avert a disaster of global proportions.

The war in Ukraine shows the game-changing effects of drones depends on the game

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to the first large-scale, high-intensity war where both sides have extensively deployed military and commercial drones. But do drones really offer a “game-changing effect” on warfare? The answer is: It depends.

Nerds, ninjas, and neutrons: The story of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team

Recently declassified material and other information that has never before appeared in the public domain allow a glimpse into the workings of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team —often one of the first agencies to respond whenever there is an incident involving a nuclear weapon or a nuclear reactor.

Nuclear Notebook: Chinese nuclear weapons, 2023

We estimate that China’s stockpile now includes roughly 410 nuclear warheads, with more in production. The stockpile is expected to increase significantly in the next decade but remains significantly smaller than that of Russia or the United States.

Cover by Thomas Gaulkin.

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Albert Einstein in Washington, D.C., between 1921 and 1923. Harris & Ewing, photographers. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016885961/

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