Cooperation and Conflict: The Offense-Defense Balance in Cross-Strait Relations

Abstract

With political relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in transition, the possible consequences of Taiwan's strategies toward mainland China warrant special attention. This article focuses on Taiwan's relations with mainland China under the rubric of cooperative security and their implications for the offense-defense balance of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Particular attention will be given to efforts to prevent cross-Strait conflict as suggested by the neoliberal school of thought, i.e., cooperative security measures such as the creation of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP); and the neorealist approach, i.e., ameliorating the security dilemma by incorporating Taiwan in the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) system as proposed by the U.S. Republican Party (GOP). This article throws new light on these issues and raises questions about the utility of these approaches.