Word: strait
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Beijing's saber-rattling across the Taiwan Strait may well signify a coming conflict with Washington, but not necessarily over Taiwan. Beijing's threats to invade if Taiwan's presidential election on Saturday is won by Chen Shui-bian, who previously advocated a referendum on independence, have seen the Taipei stock exchange shed some 12 percent of its value in less than a week, and drawn a warning on Thursday from Defense Secretary William Cohen to tone down the rhetoric. Washington fears the threats from both sides could develop a momentum of their own, provoking a military showdown that would...
...Taiwan arms dilemma may be a question of flags - more precisely, of which flag is flown by the U.S.-made warships that might be deployed in the Taiwan Strait if Beijing attacks Taiwan. The New York Times reported Wednesday that Taiwan's attempts to buy four U.S.-made destroyers equipped with the advanced Aegis guided missile system has created an acute political dilemma for the Clinton administration, in light of Chinese warnings that such a sale would dangerously escalate tensions with both the U.S. and Taiwan. The President's dilemma, of course, is the one inherited by every tenant...
...Pentagon officials favor beefing up Taiwan's defenses. The military logic is plain to see: The current policy requires that U.S. forces be rapidly deployed to defend Taiwan from any threat, as occurred in 1996 when President Clinton ordered a U.S. Navy battle group into the Taiwan Strait after China had fired ballistic missiles toward the island. Although that deployment was enough to force Beijing to back away from the threat of force, there might be legitimate concerns in military circles over whether today's risk-averse U.S. leadership in both the White House and Congress would muster the political...
...China's declaration that its patience could wear thin at any time raises the dangerous possibility that China has become more willing to use military force to achieve its political ends, and thereby represents a real escalation of the tensions across the Taiwan strait. Unfortunately, China's threats seem likely to spawn a vicious cycle of mistrust, making it only more likely that the Senate will vote to sell additional defense equipment to Taiwan, further angering the Chinese government...
...students we inhabit a space that is clearly defined by administrators, parents and professors. We compete for grades--arbitrary symbols of our intellectual achievement. And the fact that we were admitted implies that we are fairly adept at playing by the rules. But even (or especially?) the most strait-laced member of the debate club can benefit from stripping off (quite literally) their inhibitions. We all could use a vacation from conformity...