ABSTRACT
Is there an inexorable logic to the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) policy toward the use of force? Are there definitively identifiable factors that will determine China’s ultimate utilization of force against Taiwan? These are difficult questions, for the simple reason that there are so many contingent factors that are constantly changing and regrouping. While there is no normative formula that provides a definitive answer, there are indeed many discernible conditions or factors that collectively influence the PRC’s policy over the use of force against Taiwan. These factors are neither static nor isolated from each other. Rather, they exist in a dialectical fashion, often codependent and contradictory at the same time. This chapter attempts to analyze several such factors.
