Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs and Adjunct Senior Fellow at Pacific Forum Elizabeth Freund Larus
Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs and Adjunct Senior Fellow at Pacific Forum Elizabeth Freund Larus published her book chapter, “Taiwan: One of the Most Dangerous Places in the World” in Contemporary Security Problems (Lublin: UMCS Press, 2024).
The May 1, 2021 cover of the Economist magazine declared that Taiwan is “the most dangerous place on Earth.” Similarly, the WEF’s annual Global Risk reports since 2022 have labeled Taiwan as a dangerous hot spot because of its proximity to the PRC. The chapter, co-authored with Polish scholar and Professor Larus’ Fulbright host Agata Ziętek, analyzes the potential for cross-Strait conflict by examining the conditions contributing to tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
Professor Larus regularly travels to Taiwan. Despite the chapter title, she finds Taiwan to be a dynamic democracy and economy, and a remarkably safe place to travel and live.