By Noah Lingwall
A grand bargain between the U.S. and China over Taiwan seems an ill-conceived idea.
The recent debate surrounding Taiwan’s role in a possible U.S.-China “grand bargain” reveals that the controversy surrounding Taiwan’s status as a nation is alive and well in 2015. Led by George Washington University professor Charles L. Glaser and his recent article inInternational Security, a cadre of political scientists, policy analysts, and pundits have amplified their calls for a groundbreaking deal in which the United States would abandon Taiwan to China in exchange for weighty Chinese concessions. Specifically, Glaser envisions a deal in which China vows greater docility in dealing with territorial disputes and accepts U.S. regional hegemony in exchange for the United States’ release of Taiwan.
Glaser’s argument rests upon three key assumptions: First, he assumes that Taiwan acts as an impediment to U.S.-China relations. Second, he assumes that Taiwan can serve as a “bargaining chip” in a high-stakes U.S. gamble. Lastly, Glaser makes the assumption that the successful negotiation of a grand bargain would induce steadfast Chinese cooperation on key regional security issues. Unfortunately, these assumptions are patently false. By debunking the myth of the “grand bargain,” it becomes clear that Washington’s abandonment of Taiwan would not only spell the end of a delicate China-Taiwan equilibrium, it would also threaten the stability of the entire East Asian security environment.
Read the full story at The Diplomat