The Boiling Moat Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan

by Pottinger, Matt

• ISBN13: 9780817926458
• ISBN10: 0817926453
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780817926465
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780817926489
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2024-07-01
• Publisher: Hoover Institution Press
• More Book Details

Summary

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has openly expressed his intention to annex Taiwan to mainland China, even threatening the use of force. An invasion or blockade of Taiwan by Chinese forces would be catastrophic, with severe consequences for democracies worldwide. In The Boiling Moat, Matt Pottinger and a team of scholars and distinguished military and political leaders urgently outline practical steps for deterrence. The authors stress that preventing a war is more affordable than waging one and emphasize the importance of learning from recent failures in deterrence, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The book argues that a robust military strategy is essential for countering Beijing’s aggression. Pottinger and his team map out a workable military strategy for Taiwan, the United States, Japan, Australia, and Europe to pursue collectively, urging quick adoption to avert a devastating war. The significance of Taiwan to the world economy, semiconductor supply, and Indo-Pacific security is underscored.

The authors stress that preventing China’s coercive annexation of Taiwan requires democracies to demonstrate not just the means but also the will to effectively resist, conveying the message that a military attempt by Xi would likely lead to disastrous consequences, both for China and for the international community.

Author Biography

Matt Pottinger is a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, chairman of the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and a former US deputy national security advisor.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Larry Diamond

Acknowledgments

Part I: Overview

Chapter 1: “The Stormy Seas of a Major Test”
Matt Pottinger

Chapter 2: Taiwan: The Stakes
Gabriel B. Collins, Andrew S. Erickson, and Matt Pottinger

Chapter 3: The Myth of Accidental Wars
Matt Pottinger and Matthew Turpin

Part II: Taiwan’s Job Now

Chapter 4: A New Military Culture for Taiwan
Michael A. Hunzeker, Enoch Wu, and Kobi Marom

Chapter 5: Countering China’s Use of Force
Ivan Kanapathy

Chapter 6: Countering China’s Gray-Zone Activities
Ivan Kanapathy

Part III: America’s Job Now

Chapter 7: Sink China’s Navy
Robert Haddick, Mark Montgomery, and Isaac “Ike” Harris

Chapter 8: Quarantines and Blockades
Robert Haddick, Elaine Luria, and Mark Montgomery

Chapter 9: Mobilizing and Equipping
Robert Haddick

Part IV: Japan’s Job Now

Chapter 10: Japan as the “Swing Vote”
Grant Newsham

Chapter 11: “The Sun Also Rises”
Yoji Koda

Part V: Australia’s and Europe’s Jobs Now

Chapter 12: Australia’s Job Now
Ross Babbage

Chapter 13: Europe’s Job Now
Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Jonas Parello-Plesner

About the Editor

About the Contributors

Index