ABSTRACT
When contemplating the use of force, national leaders carefully weigh the costs and benefits of their choice. With regards a decision by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over Taiwan, what is striking is the juxtaposition of the enormous value the leadership attaches to the issue, and the equally enormous costs that a forced solution would entail.1 When the Chinese leadership makes the fateful decision of war, it must carefully calculate these consequences. To the extent that Beijing must balance the benefits of a rash decision with its costs, an examination of the consequences sheds important light on the parameters of China’s decision making and the stability of deterrence across the Taiwan Strait.
