This is CBSI in the world. I'm John Bacher.

Elbridge Colby's new book is The Strategy of Denial, American Defense in an Age of Great

Power conflict.

We are speculating on a war that has not happened, that will not happen, that might happen,

which is China's move against Taiwan and the coalition

built around Taiwan, the looser formal coalition that could be expected to react to an invasion

or an attack or a blockade. We've talked about punishment to get Taiwan to bend its knee.

However, there is also brute force, also known as conquest, something Napoleon practiced,

to set up a puppet government with his brother on the throne in Spain, for example.

And there's also fait accompli, so overwhelming brute force plus coercion that the peoples of Taiwan have no choice except when you're using Feta Compli versus coalition, which is the case here.

This is not Taiwan isolated. This is not Taiwan as Czechoslovakia in 1938. This is Taiwan in an anti-China coalition.

This is fascinating to me, Bridge, because you've thought through what happens when China takes

on a coalition, which I can presume Beijing has thought through. All right. They're going to

move against the edge of the coalition.

That is Taiwan. What advantage does that give them? What does that mean for the coalition?

Right. Exactly. I think you put your finger on it, John, that Beijing's strategic problem is to collapse the

coalition without precipitating the very large war that would

indubitably be very costly and risky and that they very well might lose, right?

Normally being at Klaus Witsky, and in this context, the direct application of military force

is the most attractive.

If you can just defeat your opponent, that's the best thing to do.

You know, as Napoleon said, if you want to take Vienna, take Vienna.

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