Mackinder Forum Virtual Seminar #68: David P. Goldman, "Military Technology, Geostrategy and the Defense of Taiwan”

On December 4, 2022, Mr. David P. Goldman delivered a talk to the Mackinder Forum Seminar Series on "Military Technology, Geostrategy and the Defense of Taiwan.” He argued: Weapons technology including hypersonic vehicles and surface-to-ship missiles present a threat to naval assets comparable to the torpedo and dive bombers of 1940. China's massive concentration of defensive power on its coasts creates a local superiority that existing weapons systems cannot overcome. This calls into question America's capacity to defend Taiwan and requires a drastic upgrade of military technology comparable to the 1976-1984 peak of the Cold War.

Readings for this seminar:

https://americanmind.org/features/florida-versus-davos/five-myths-about-china/

https://lawliberty.org/two-kinds-of-detente/

https://compactmag.com/article/sleepwalking-into-war-with-china

https://asiatimes.com/2022/08/taiwans-reunification-countdown-has-begun/

Biography: David P. Goldman is Deputy Editor of Asia Times and a Washington Fellow of the Claremont Institute. He directed research groups at several Wall Street firms, including Credit Suisse, Bank of America and Cantor Fitzgerald. He consulted for the US National Security Council during the Reagan Administration and for the Office of Net Assessment at Pentagon during the Obama Administration. He has written the "Spengler" column at Asia Times since 2001, and contributed to the Wall Street Journal, American Affairs, Newsweek, First Things, Weltwoche, and many other publications.