'The Boiling Moat' plants a military strategy to prevent China's capture of Taiwan

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4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 1 August 2024

⏱️ 7 minutes

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Summary

Matt Pottinger used to cover China for Reuters and The Wall Street Journal before working as a deputy national security advisor for the Trump administration. Now, he's edited a new book called The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan. In today's episode, Pottinger speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about the global fallout that could result from China annexing Taiwan and the military strategy he thinks the U.S., Australia and other countries should implement to prevent a larger conflict from breaking out.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. Matt Pottinger is a former journalist. He used to
0:07.4	work for Reuters and the Wall Street Journal covering China. He's a former Marine, and he worked under
0:12.0	former President Donald Trump as Deputy National Security Advisor focusing on China policy.
0:17.3	And he says there are some huge ramifications for Americans should China capture Taiwan.
0:22.6	Kiss your investment portfolio goodbye. If you look at the most valuable companies in the United
0:27.6	States, the value of those companies depend on access to Taiwan manufactured semiconductors.
0:33.8	Pottinger edited the book The Boiling Moat, which argues that the U.S. should arm itself to help Taiwan defend itself.
0:40.7	But in this interview with Empire Steve Inskeep, he talks about how preparing for war isn't necessarily advocating for war.
0:47.9	That's ahead.
0:49.5	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:54.3	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
0:58.8	On our new show, Sources and Methods.
1:00.9	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,
1:04.7	helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
1:08.5	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:14.0	Talk of War is not something Matt Pottinger takes lightly. He started off this conversation
1:18.7	talking about how extensive a conflict with China over Taiwan would be. It would make the
1:24.9	wars in the Middle East and in Europe right now in Ukraine seem like an
1:29.7	afterthought by comparison. It could potentially mean the end of U.S. status as a superpower if
1:36.1	Taiwan were coercibly annexed. And by the way, this is not me calling for war, okay,
1:40.7	quite the opposite. I fought in wars. I'm the last person on earth who wants to ever see the United States in a position of having to fight a war. Okay, quite the opposite. I fought in wars. I'm the last person on earth who wants to ever
1:45.2	see the United States in a position of having to fight a war. The key is deterrence. Well, let's talk
	...

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