A new survey question asked of voters in Colorado's fastest growing suburb illustrates the larger populace's opinions on dealing with a military crisis in Asia. Colorado opinion is scattered among a range of possible responses on the question of defending Taiwan from military attack by China. Another 21 percent support providing weapons. Seventeen percent haven't formed an opinion. Communist has told the island of Taiwan that unless it begins negotiations to unify with the mainland, China will use force to take control of the island.
Women are much less supportive than men of taking military action to defense Taiwan.
There is considerable research on the conditions that must exist in order to justify the use of force, including a clearly indenified enemy guilty of serious acts against American interests and allies. So far, little has been done by American policy makers to justify use of military force. Hence, while Americans now see China as the major threat and Taiwan as the flash point, they do not have a commitment to use force if necessary to stop military agression. Bipolar Commitment U.S. opinion makers oscillate between exaggeration and underestimation of Asia's importance to American interests. In the late 80s, Japan's economy was expected to dominate the 21st century.