OPINION:
The U.S. is locked in a fierce struggle with China, especially over Taiwan. The possibility that the war of words and ideas will transmute into a more deadly conflict occupies experts on both sides.
War gaming detects weakness and strength on both sides of the equation. Do our gamers assess public opinion on the sacrifices our forces would take for a faraway ally that most Americans cannot locate on a map? Chinese gamers already have that information for their own population, after many decades of relentless indoctrination that Taiwan is an integral part of the motherland. State Department opinion that losing Taiwan would end America’s status as a credible global power is faulty.
A recalibration by the Foggy Bottom boys and girls along with our allies might very well provide a realpolitik view of our prowess; to wit, that pulling our forces into a more easily defensible core is smarter than our status quo as protector of all we view and want. President Biden’s policy of encouraging chip production here at home where amber waves of grain can mingle with the coming wave of semiconductors is prescient.
PAUL BLOUSTEIN
Cincinnati
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