U.S.-Taiwan Relations - by Ryan Hass & Bonnie Glaser & Richard Bush (Paperback)

About the Book

This book explains how the U.S.-Taiwan relationship arrived at its current moment, rightsizes the risk of cross-Strait conflict with China, and argues that the United States must counter both military and non-military threats to Taiwan if it wishes to preserve peace and stabil...

Book Synopsis

This book explains how the U.S.-Taiwan relationship arrived at its current moment, rightsizes the risk of cross-Strait conflict with China, and argues that the United States must counter both military and non-military threats to Taiwan if it wishes to preserve peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Review Quotes

As Asia's most volatile and consequential flashpoint, Taiwan is a central issue for US foreign policy. In this timely and terrific book, the country's leading experts offer a systematic and succinct examination of US relations with Taiwan as well as the military and political challenges the island faces from China. With refreshing and bracing common sense, Hass, Glaser, and Bush show how Taiwan can be strengthened, and catastrophic conflict can be avoided. A must-read for anyone interested in understanding the future of this relationship.

The special relationship between the US and Taiwan has been challenged as US-PRC tensions rise to new heights. This volume treats the background to the present conflict: US-Taiwan relations from 2016 to 2023, including the administration of Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan and the presidencies of Trump and Biden in the US...The authors are experienced observers of the dynamic relationship and urge greater use of political, rather than military, means to resolve conflict. They are concerned that since the 1995-96 crisis in US-PRC relations, the Chinese military has grown stronger, and the gap between its capability and Taiwan's has enlarged. The authors term President Tsai a "reliable" partner who has been cautious about dealing with China's "coercion without violence." They advise American policy makers to "keep space open for Taipei and Beijing to find a peaceful solution to cross-Strait differences that is acceptable to Taiwan's people". Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals.

The United States relationship with Taiwan is both extremely consequential and poorly understood. Ryan Hass, Bonnie Glaser, and Richard Bush---an all-star team of seasoned professionals---have provided us all a great service in this highly informative and timely book.

This is a wonderful book! It is authoritative, beautifully written and concise. Three of America's foremost experts and policy practitioners have written a work that illuminates and clarifies the entire corpus of US cross-strait relations from 1945 to 2022. This is a work that will benefit novices and experts alike. Every historic turning point, relevant policy statements and documents are clearly addressed. It concludes with a balanced assessment of the security challenges Washington will face in the coming decade. Very highly recommended.

U.S.-Taiwan Relations usefully draws their analysis and prescriptions into one book alongside a succinct history and a few crisis scenarios to ponder over. For those unfamiliar with the authors' previous works, who may be unduly alarmed by sensational op-eds and newsflashes, the book will provide a necessary counterbalance. After finishing the book, these readers will likely be more reassured, although not complacent about the challenge facing American policymakers. Moreover, while understanding the need for innovation, they will also no doubt be left appreciating the need for continuity in the US's approach in the coming decades to avoid crises across the Strait and prevent conflict.

About the Author

Ryan Hass is the Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies at the Brookings Institution. Bonnie Glaser is Managing Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Richard Bush is author of seven books, including most recently, Difficult Choices: Taiwan's Quest for Security and the Good Life (Brookings Press, 2021).