According to the Financial Times of Britain, the most crucial question currently raised by the possibility of war between the US and China over Taiwan is whether such a fight can stay non-nuclear.
And the tabloid claimed in an article posted on its website on Tuesday that no one questioned whether US President Joe Biden was willing to take the chance of launching nuclear weapons with the US when he reiterated in May that America would protect the island in the case of a Chinese assault.
Beijing, and if the Washington foreign policy elite is right that such a war is no longer just possible but likely, then the evaluation of such risks should be at the centre of all debates.
No other nuclear-armed power has engaged in a significant conflict since the first nuclear weapon was used nearly eight decades ago, and although the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in direct and indirect proxy wars during the Cold War, they avoided the potential for a direct conventional conflict to spiral out of control.
Non-nuclear partners are questioning the legitimacy of the US nuclear umbrella and pledges of extended deterrence, which is another reason why NATO is being so cautious in how it responds to the Russian war in Ukraine that broke out earlier this year.
The newspaper argued that since Beijing views Taiwan as a matter of sovereignty, there can be no guarantee that the conflict will remain conventional, and there is no doubt that this will not be a minor confrontation. The newspaper also noted that policy makers and public opinion in the United States can no longer ignore the fact that the world is entering a new nuclear age.
According to the Financial Times, a lot of it will depend on whether a war of this kind started accidently or on purpose, how dedicated Washington is to defending the island, and how the conflict ended up.
According to her, the issue of escalation will become significant moment a single US missile reaches Chinese territory. This will very certainly be followed by retaliation strikes by the PLA missile forces against the US mainland, creating a cycle of escalation.
In fact, the first great-power ballistic missile war would result from any significant conflict. Such escalation would put immense pressure on US politicians to act, as they have long since abandoned any civil defence preparations and the population is totally unprepared for a missile attack. Chinese aims are being pursued with more vigour, running the risk of a full-scale conflict as the demand for nuclear power grows with each setback.
The British newspaper’s article on the Taiwan War concluded by stating that while the consequences are significant, no American leader should hastily commit to defending the island without understanding that the conflict with China may be unique from all other conflicts in history. As a result, the extent should be discussed.
We must consider the unfathomable or what might ultimately cause us to pay a tragic price in addition to the hazards of both action and inaction, which the United States would want to go through in an equally open assessment.
Financial Times: America has to understand that a conflict over Taiwan could turn nuclear.
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