The US once floated nuclear retaliation in 1958 if China invaded Taiwan, and stationed nuclear weapons on the island until 1974.
It would essentially tell Beijing that an invasion of the island risks nuclear war, he said.
"What's the benefit of reassuring Xi that our nuclear weapons are not relevant?"
"So relatively low-yield nuclear weapons could destroy that amphibious force and do little to no collateral damage onshore in Taiwan."
He added that threatening war — much less nuclear war — over Taiwan would be deeply unpopular at home.
Persons:
—, David Kearn, Kearn, — he'd, Greg Weaver, Weaver, Obama, Matthew Kroenig, James Acton, Greg, Matt, Kroenig, Lyle Goldstein, Goldstein, we're, Acton, Francesca Giovannini, Giovannini, Xi Jinping, Xi, It's, Marshall Billingslea, Billingslea, Rebeccah Heinrichs, Jake Werner
Organizations:
Service, John's, Atlantic Council, Pentagon, Business, RAND, US Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Department, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International, China Initiative, Brown University, International Peace, Harvard University's Kennedy, Georgetown University, US State Department, Hudson, Keystone Defense Initiative, Kroenig, East Asia, Quincy Institute, Responsible, Johns University
Locations:
St, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Washington, Korea, Japan, Taiwan Strait, Washington , DC, Guam, South China, Russia, United States, Bejing, South Korea