The Taiwan Problem

Abstract

Taiwan’s status as an independent country and how it is acknowledged by other nations is politically complex. While Taiwan has its own independent government and military, it is left out of the United Nations and must be referred to as Chinese Taipei in global events like the Olympics. Taiwan’s historically complicated relationship with the Republic of China (PRC) directly influences its foreign relations with national superpowers, like the United States, on how “strategically ambiguous” their allyship can be. This paper explores the crux of this strategic ambiguity—how the United States can refrain from committing to Taiwan’s defense while simultaneously maintaining diplomatic relations with both Taiwan and China. Furthermore, this paper will challenge how effective an approach of strategic ambiguity is as a long-term solution as well as propose moderate actions the United States can take ranging from a military and policy-driven standpoint to decrease the risk of global conflict.