Watch Rollout—“The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan”—at Stanford’s Hoover Institution
Andrew Erickson
Professor of Strategy (tenured full professor) at Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute
I was honored to join?Matt Pottinger and some of his contributors to “The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan” at the book’s rollout at Stanford’s Hoover Institution on 30 May 2024. Sponsored by China’s Global Sharp Power Project and Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region, the event was hosted and run by Pottinger and Larry Diamond.
Event summary:
More on this research:
The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan
Military and political leaders map out a workable strategy for Taiwan, the United States, and their allies to deter China from pursuing acts of aggression against Taiwan.
Edited by: Matt Pottinger
Research Team: China’s Global Sharp Power Project
Military and political leaders map out a workable strategy for Taiwan, the United States, and their allies to deter China from pursuing acts of aggression against Taiwan.
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.
Advance Praise:
“With The Boiling Moat, Matt Pottinger becomes Taiwan’s Paul Revere. He and his contributors give us a lucid, informative, and yet spellbinding menu of unwelcome scenarios from which Xi Jinping will choose to ‘reunify the motherland’ and advance his ‘China Dream.’”
—Orville Schell, author of Wealth and Power: China’s Long March to the Twenty-First Century
“If you are concerned about the looming conflict with China over Taiwan, read this book and ask those in positions of leadership to heed its recommendations with a sense of urgency.”
—H.R. McMaster, former US national security advisor
“The Boiling Moat is a one-of-a-kind book that lays out precisely how we can deter the catastrophic war that China’s dictator is planning.”
—Mike Pompeo, former US secretary of state and CIA director
Foreword Larry Diamond
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
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.
Honored to contribute Chapter 2 with Collins and Pottinger to Pottinger’s timely, impactful edited volume!
Gabriel B. Collins, Andrew S. Erickson, and Matt Pottinger, “Taiwan: The Stakes,” in Matt Pottinger, ed., The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Hoover Institution Press, 2024), 23–42.
Founder at Ausable Funds
5 个月Looks like a great read, congrats! When are the book signings in Manhattan and Wall Street South?
Great work Andrew!
Managing Director at Center for Research on Geopolitics (CRG)
5 个月Thank you for sharing. 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, a new book from the Hoover Institution Press, 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. ? Featuring Matt Pottinger, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, and Larry Diamond, William L. Clayton Senior Fellow. Pottinger and Diamond were joined by contributors to The Boiling Moat project: Gabriel Collins, Andrew Erickson, Robert Haddick, Isaac Harris, Michael Hunzeker, Ivan Kanapathy, Mark Montgomery, and Grant Newsham.