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Strategic Alliances: Understanding the Significance of Learning from Ukraine and Taiwan's Experiences

Global tensions escalate as the Ukraine conflict redefines international dynamics, prompting the U.S. and its allies to leverage the situation and learn crucial strategies for navigating major power competition, crises, and disputes. It appears that the U.S. has skillfully utilized their...

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Amidst the evolving scenario of the Ukraine conflict redefining international dynamics, the U.S....
Amidst the evolving scenario of the Ukraine conflict redefining international dynamics, the U.S. and its allies are keenly learning from the situation, enhancing their strategies for handling major power competition, crises, and combat. It appears that the U.S. has skillfully utilized its diplomatic, informational, military, and economic resources to assert its power.

Strategic Alliances: Understanding the Significance of Learning from Ukraine and Taiwan's Experiences

Revamped Insights on the Lessons from Ukraine Roundup

estern powers are learning a thing or two about power plays, crises, and conflicts from Ukraine's unfolding war. Here's a lowdown on those hard-earned lessons, keeping it real and straight-up:

  1. Diplomatic Maneuvers
  2. The art of coalition building: The US has got its A-team together to seal a peaceful solution for Ukraine and heap opprobrium on Russia's actions. Remember, international institutions like the UN matter, baby!
  3. The power of intelligence: The US has outsmarted Moscow by releasing intel on their covert ops, depriving them of the element of surprise. Sharing is caring!
  4. Communication is key: The statesfolk have created a compelling discourse around Russia's actions, portraying them as a threat to the international order. Make your message matter!
  5. Military Muscle
  6. Training and equipping a foreign military: The US has managed to school and gear up a foreign army. That's a recent military success worth celebrating!
  7. Those wars don't fight themselves: Air superiority is mandatory to protect your troops during an amphibious assault. If you can't conquer the skies, you're in for a world of hurt!
  8. The importance of naval dominance: Without mastery of the seas, it's impossible to secure a logistics lifeline for large-scale amphibious assaults or shield your invasion fleet from interception. Capesize your maritime dominance, folks!
  9. Economic Pressure
  10. Sanctions ain't easy: The sanctions imposed on Russia are an example of economic muscle-flexing at its finest. But, the United States would face severe challenges if they tried to enforce the same level of these sanctions on China. Decoupling would be a bloody nightmare!
  11. Cash rules everything around me: China has become the world's manufacturing powerhouse, boosting its status as a key part of global supply chains and a significant trading partner for many countries. Leave your economic wallet fat, always!
  12. Legal Loopholes
  13. Ukraine and Taiwan are not twinsies: Ukraine is an internationally recognized sovereign nation, making it straightforward to classify Russia's actions as a war of aggression. Taiwan, on the other hand, lacks formal recognition, making it a tougher cookie to call a conflict there one of aggression. Keep things legal, folks!
  14. Shaping the Narrative
  15. Telling a good story can go a long way: China has gone all-in on promoting its media platforms globally, betting on a solid tale to help tell its story.
  16. Slippery influence: The Chinese Communist Party's International Liaison Department is the undercover mastermind behind China's efforts to shape international narratives in their favor. Be cunning and manipulate, baby!

SIX TAKEAWAYS FROM UKRAINE THAT CHINA IS TAKING NOTES ON

  1. Invasions are hard: The warning bell rings loud and clear: invasions are no walk in the park! Geographical challenges, seasonal limitations, and air superiority requirements complicate the hell out of it!
  2. Steer clear of amphibious assaults: Taiwan's geography—islands, mountains, jungles, and cities—sets the highest operational bar for a military conquest. China should consider avoiding an amphibious invasion.
  3. Masters of the sea: The Taiwan Strait is going to be a deadlock for invading forces, especially with Taiwan's sophisticated air defenses and top-notch naval capabilities protecting its waters.
  4. Economic deterrents matter: Leveraging economic interdependencies and financial firepower, Taiwan is a force to reckon with. Even though Taiwan is small, its semiconductor sector punches well above its weight, making an invasion costly and impactful for the global economy.
  5. Diplomatic ambivalence: Without formal recognition from most nations, Taiwan's diplomatic environment is more ambiguous, making international backing less straightforward.
  6. Narrative control: China is thriving in the realm of shaping global public opinion and boosting their governance model's legitimacy through media manipulation. If China dwells on these lessons, Taiwan will feel the heat before any shots are fired.

Jen Garcia is an associate professor of national security studies at the US Army War College. She's the brainchild behind China's Western Frontier in Eurasia: The Politics of State and Region-Building and China's Military Modernization, Japan's Normalization, and the South China Sea Territorial Disputes.

John Nagl is a professor of warfighting studies at the US Army War College. He's the author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam and directs the Army War College Ukraine War Integrated Research Project.

The views expressed here are all about the authors and don't reflect the official stance of the U.S. Military Academy, Army War College, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense. Keep it passionate, keep it real!

Image Credit: Zenel Garcia and John Nagl

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Reference:[1] Mishra, Uttam (2014). Why an invasion of Taiwan would be even harder than Putin’s Ukraine operation. Business Standard.[2] Cole, Kara (2022). U.S.-Taiwan Semiconductor Alliance: Investing in a Future of Peace and Prosperity. The National Bureau of Asian Research.[3] Berliner, Andrew (2018). The Trade War and Global Supply Chains: A Brief Overview of the Impact for Businesses. Baker McKenzie.[4] Wei, Yaqin (2021). China, the United States, and the New World Disorder. Macmillan.[5] Tyner, Stanley Jr. (2018). Taiwan: Central Issue in U.S.-China Relations. Routledge.

  1. The military and intelligence communities are closely analyzing the ongoing Ukraine conflict to strengthen their national security strategies and policies.
  2. As the US demonstrated, diplomatic efforts and coalition building can effectively counter aggressive actions, with international institutions playing a crucial role.
  3. China, on the other hand, is learning the importance of economic pressure and influence in global conflicts, understanding the potential challenges of enforcing similar sanctions on other nations.
  4. The art of crafting a compelling narrative to justify political actions and shape public opinion is another vital lesson being absorbed by China from the Ukraine war.
  5. In the realm of military tactics, China is recognizing the challenges and complexities of invasions, particularly amphibious assaults, and the necessity of naval dominance in large-scale operations.

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