Citation

Wu SS. Cogent Arts Humanit. 2023; 10(1): e2220211.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/23311983.2023.2220211

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, Taiwan has successfully transformed civilian control over its military with its democratisation. Despite some constraints, the elected administrations and congress have influenced on defence affairs, and each of the four elected administrations has demonstrated distinct characteristics. In parallel, the external threat from China has been risen with its military expansion. This paper analyses how civilian leadership in Taipei has addressed the external threats and incorporated non-military factors in defence policies. Distinct national identities between administrations have led to different and inconsistent strategies and disruption of military modernisation. The popularity of various national measures, such as reducing conscription and shifting energy policies, has also eroded Taiwan's deterrence. With its expanding military inferiority to China, Taiwan has an increasingly narrow margin for making mistakes in its defence policy.

Language: en

Keywords

China; Civilian control; conscription; defence strategy; external threats; Taiwan