News Snapshot:
Should the US defend Taiwan? This is not an abstract debate. Over the last few days, Beijing simulated bombing raids on the island, while its navy encircled Taiwan. In response to the steady escalation of Chinese military pressure on the island, president Joe Biden has promised – four times – that the US would defend Taiwan from an attack by China. For some in the US, Biden’s pledges are little short of madness. Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute, a think-tank, complains that “most [American] policymakers are prepared to risk national suicide to protect Taiwan”. Why should war-weary America threaten...
