March 29, 2024

Larus Publishes Book Chapter on Taiwan’s Military

Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs published her chapter “Taiwan’s Military Posture toward China’s Confrontational Stance,” with Agata Wiktoria Ziętek (Marie Curie-Skłodowska University) in Taiwan: Environmental, Political and Social Issues? Caleb M. Clark, Karl Ho, and Alexander C. Tan. The chapter employs defensive realist theory to analyze Taiwan’s military response to China’s threats. The chapter, based on Professor Larus’s field research in Taiwan, finds that domestic considerations, such as an economy that has already matured and is experiencing lower than previous growth rates, shifting demographics, and difficulties in implementing restructuring of the military all present nearly insurmountable challenges to Taiwan’s military modernization and defense capabilities. These domestic limitations are compounded by the hesitation of many countries to sell arms to Taiwan or to engage in weapons development with Taiwan. The book may be purchased through the publisher at https://novapublishers.com/shop/taiwan-environmental-political-and-social-issues/ or though Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Taiwan-Environmental-Political-Social-Issues/dp/1536198374