{"product_id":"the-taiwan-tinderbox-the-island-nation-at-the-center-of-the-new-cold-war-9781509568055","title":"The Taiwan Tinderbox: The Island-Nation at the Center of the New Cold War","description":"Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shocked the world and overturned assumptions that large-scale conventional war was inconceivable in the twenty-first century. On the other side of the planet, democratic Taiwan faces the rising threat of a military takeover by China a conflict whose impact on the international community would be catastrophic. \u003cp\u003eRenowned Taiwan expert and former intelligence officer J. Michael Cole explains how this Pacific nation has become a tinderbox that could ignite a full-scale global conflict. Drawing on unparalleled access to Taiwanese government sources and two decades of on-the-ground observation, he explores the root causes of the conflict between Taiwan and China - from the identity politics that make \"peaceful unification\" inconceivable, to the rise of Xi Jinping, the most powerful and authoritarian Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. With in-depth analysis of how the war in Europe is influencing preparations by Beijing, Taipei, and Washington for a potential cross-Strait confrontation, \u003ci\u003eThe Taiwan Tinderbox\u003c\/i\u003e is an impassioned plea for the defense of Taiwan as a priority for the international community and the future of democracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Polity Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/18\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781509568055\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 250","brand":"J. Michael Cole","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51894767878325,"sku":"9781509568055","price":25.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_c195c94f-26b0-4009-9851-c18780f1f4c7.jpg?v=1760491172","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-taiwan-tinderbox-the-island-nation-at-the-center-of-the-new-cold-war-9781509568055","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}