Ted Galen Carpenter
Senior Fellow, Randolph Bourne Institute
Nov 30, 2021
The China-Taiwan standoff has been a flashpoint for international tensions involving the U.S. for the better part of the last century. With Biden in the Oval Office and the U.S.’s escalating attention towards China, the latest developments in the space must be watched closely.
Sep 03, 2021
The collapse of Afghanistan’s government has caused a shift in the discourse about other U.S. defense commitments around the world. China has engaged in public saber-rattling when it comes to Taiwan, yet the situation is day and night in comparison.
Jun 22, 2021
Efforts to placate both the United States and the PRC are proving ever more challenging, as the recent Group of Seven and NATO summits have shown.
May 13, 2021
Japan’s balancing act has gotten increasingly more challenging over the years. Tasked with trying to placate both China, its powerful neighbor, and the United States, its long-time ally and protector, Tokyo’s delicate balancing act is becoming ever more difficult to sustain.
Mar 22, 2021
A complete reassessment of Washington’s stance on territorial disputes in the East and South China Sea is long overdue. Implied obligations and strategic ambiguity only increases risks for all parties.
Feb 08, 2021
The long-standing impasse between Taiwan and China has involved the U.S. since it’s beginnings after the second World War. Biden’s administration has started with strong affirmations of its commitment to Taiwan, but the tense situation may soon be measured in each player’s appetite for direct confrontation.
Dec 26, 2020
The incoming Biden administration has every incentive to repair relations with China, but the biggest obstacle, more so than Trump’s actions or public opinion, may be Biden’s own election cycle rhetoric.
Oct 27, 2020
Decoupling serves neither China nor the United States. Instead, it would impose grave economic costs on both countries at best and threatens a calamitous military clash at worst.
Sep 22, 2020
Washington is sending an unsubtle message to Beijing that U.S. military support for Taiwan is no longer ambiguous or hesitant.
Jul 02, 2020
Washington’s plea for its allies to condemn China’s actions in Hong Kong largely fell on deaf ears. An embarrassed Trump administration is now taking an even tougher stance on Taiwan – a decision with potentially lethal consequences.