In a better world, Taiwan, a quietly successful East Asian nation, wouldn’t be in the news that much, save perhaps for its victory over COVID-19. But the disturbing possibility of an invasion by China means Taiwan regularly pops up in the headlines. Having long claimed that the island state is a part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and needs to be “reunified,” Beijing has been ramping up threats and military provocations, raising fears of a potential invasion or attack. Given that the United States is Taiwan’s major unofficial ally and protector, military intervention by Washington would be very likely in the still unlikely but worryingly possible event of an invasion.
But many people still seem confused about exactly what Taiwan represents. This has led to experts openly questioning whether Taiwan is worth defending and even positing that a Chinese seizure of Taiwan would be inconsequential or inevitable. Sometimes Taiwan is seen as a mere pawn in U.S.-China relations, with little agency of its own other than as a bargaining chip. There have even been comparisons of Taiwan to the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014 without a military response from the European Union or the United States.
