Autocrats like Putin and Xi Jinping only understand and respect one thing, power. Xi is not going to risk nuclear war just because Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Xi would only attack Taiwan if he believed that the US would be too intimidated to respond with force. So if the US sends signals to China that we would be afraid, like stopping Pelosi’s visit or visibly backing off on our commitment to Taiwan, then Xi would be more confident in taking overt actions against them.
Putin, of course, is the same way, he only understands force. So that’s why we should not fail in our commitment to helping Ukraine short of direct conflict. Autocrats must be sent this message that the rest of the world is not going to put up with this dangerous, and frankly childish, behavior!
Autocrats like Putin and Xi Jinping only understand and respect one thing, power. Xi is not going to risk nuclear war just because Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Xi would only attack Taiwan if he believed that the US would be too intimidated to respond with force. So if the US sends signals to China that we would be afraid, like stopping Pelosi’s visit or visibly backing off on our commitment to Taiwan, then Xi would be more confident in taking overt actions against them.
Putin, of course, is the same way, he only understands force. So that’s why we should not fail in our commitment to helping Ukraine short of direct conflict. Autocrats must be sent this message that the rest of the world is not going to put up with this dangerous, and frankly childish, behavior!