{"product_id":"the-taiwan-tinderbox-9781509568055","title":"The Taiwan Tinderbox : The Island-Nation at the Center of the New Cold War","description":"\u003cp\u003eRussia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shocked the world and overturned assumptions that large-scale conventional war was inconceivable in the twenty-first century. On the other side of the planet, democratic Taiwan faces the rising threat of a military takeover by China a conflict whose impact on the international community would be catastrophic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRenowned Taiwan expert and former intelligence officer J. Michael Cole explains how this Pacific nation has become a tinderbox that could ignite a full-scale global conflict. Drawing on unparalleled access to Taiwanese government sources and two decades of on-the-ground observation, he explores the root causes of the conflict between Taiwan and China - from the identity politics that make \"peaceful unification\" inconceivable, to the rise of Xi Jinping, the most powerful and authoritarian Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. With in-depth analysis of how the war in Europe is influencing preparations by Beijing, Taipei, and Washington for a potential cross-Strait confrontation, The Taiwan Tinderbox is an impassioned plea for the defense of Taiwan as a priority for the international community and the future of democracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor: J.Michael Cole\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch4\u003eTaiwan, Politics \u0026amp; government, Warfare \u0026amp; defence\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ch5\u003ePublished on 3 Oct 2025 by Polity Press.\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHardback\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"J.Michael Cole","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57322230088058,"sku":"9781509568055","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0373\/4125\/files\/9781509568055.jpg?v=1790686540","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-taiwan-tinderbox-9781509568055","provider":"Belfast Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}