Does Taiwan have the Will to fight? I recently sat down with Dr. Raymond Kuo, Director of RAND’s Taiwan Policy Initiative and Catherine Kish, Research Assistant and Chinese Language Specialist at RAND to talk about their War on the Rocks article, “Taiwan’s Will to Fight Isn’t the Problem.” Later on in the interview we also talked about how Taiwan could leverage its diaspora.
Related Links:
Taiwan’s Will to Fight Isn’t the Problem: https://warontherocks.com/2025/09/taiwans-will-to-fight-isnt-the-problem/
Raymond Kuo: https://www.raymondkuo.com/
https://www.rand.org/about/people/k/kuo_raymond.html
Catherine Kish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-kish-071299205/
Catherine Kish on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ZF5E171YpqDP0kupbyk8P
RAND: https://www.rand.org/
A celebrity draft-dodging scandal lays bare problems with Taiwan’s crucial reservist force: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/21/china/taiwan-china-conscription-intl-hnk
Is Taiwan Prepared for an Attack by China?: https://www.rand.org/pubs/podcasts/policy-minded/2025/is-taiwan-prepared-for-an-attack-by-china.html
Should Ukraine Settle with Russia?: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2022/06/20/should_ukraine_settle_with_russia_838200.html
Former President Tsai Ing-wen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsai_Ing-wen
President Lai Ching-te: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lai_Ching-te
Han Kuang: What happens in Taiwan’s military exercise to defend against China?: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly21zr
Kuma Academy: https://kuma-academy.org/about?lang=en
Forward Alliance: https://www.forward.org.tw/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_Alliance
Taiwan National Security Survey: https://sites.duke.edu/tnss/
Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee: https://english.president.gov.tw/Page/670
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Progressive_Party
Kuomintang (KMT): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_People%27s_Party
Ko Wen-je: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Wen-je
Chinese Influencer Ordered to Leave Taiwan Over Pro-Unification Content: https://thediplomat.com/2025/04/chinese-influencer-ordered-to-leave-taiwan-over-pro-unification-content/
Love Boat Study Tour Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Boat_(study_tour)
FAPA (Formosan Association for Public Affairs): https://fapa.org/
Foreign Policy Association: https://fpa.org/
Foreign Affairs Magazine: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/
State Death: The Politics and Geography of Conquest, Occupation, and Annexation by Tanisha Fazal: https://tinyurl.com/4xbkjh36
https://www.amazon.com/State-Death-Geography-Occupation-Annexation/dp/069113460X
Love Boat Taiwan: Interview with Asian American Studies Professor and Filmmaker Valerie Soe Ep 66: https://talkingtaiwan.com/love-boat-taiwan-interview-asian-american-studies-professor-film-maker-valerie-soe-ep-66/
Love Boat Taipei: An Interview with Best Selling Author Abigail Hing Wen Ep 67: https://talkingtaiwan.com/love-boat-taipei-interview-best-selling-author-abigail-hing-wen/
Eric Chang on China’s Breach of Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone: Threat or Bluff? Ep 127: https://talkingtaiwan.com/eric-chang-on-chinas-breach-of-taiwans-air-defense-identification-zone-threat-or-bluff-ep-127/
Will China Attack Taiwan? Kuan-Ting Chen Discusses Ramifications of the War in Ukraine on Taiwan Ep 175: https://talkingtaiwan.com/will-china-attack-taiwan-kuan-ting-chen-discusses-ramifications-of-the-war-in-ukraine-on-taiwan-ep-175/
Taiwan’s Civil Defense Preparedness: T.H. Schee on How to Prepare for the Threat of an Attack Ep 178: https://talkingtaiwan.com/taiwans-civil-defense-preparedness-t-h-schee-on-how-to-prepare-for-the-threat-of-an-attack-ep-178/
Robert Tsao, Founder of UMC Pledges to Donate USD 100 Million to Taiwan’s Military Cause Ep 229: https://talkingtaiwan.com/robert-tsao-founder-of-umc-pledges-to-donate-usd-100-million-to-taiwans-military-cause-ep-229/
T.H. Schee: On Taiwan’s Civil Defense Preparedness One Year Later After the War in Ukraine Ep 232: https://talkingtaiwan.com/th-schee-on-taiwans-civil-defense-preparedness-one-year-later-after-the-war-in-ukraine-ep-232/
Dr. Jung Tsai: On His Courageous Medical Mission to Ukraine for Taiwan Ep 251: https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-jung-tsai-on-his-courageous-medical-mission-to-ukraine-for-taiwan-ep-251/
TH Schee: Lessons Taiwan has Learned from the Nantou and Hualien Earthquakes Ep 281: https://talkingtaiwan.com/th-schee-survivor-of-taiwans-most-powerful-earthquakes-gives-a-lesson-on-preparing-for-natural-disasters-ep-281/
An Emergency Preparedness Guide for ExPats in Taiwan: Our Discussion with Author John Groot Ep 291: https://talkingtaiwan.com/an-emergency-preparedness-guide-for-expats-in-taiwan-our-discussion-with-author-john-groot-ep-291/
Aftermath of his Medical Mission to Ukraine One Year Later: Dr. Jung Tsai Ep 297: https://talkingtaiwan.com/aftermath-of-his-medical-mission-to-ukraine-one-year-later-dr-jung-tsai-ep-297/
Psychological Defense and Practices to Manage Stress for the People of Taiwan: A Talk with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo Ep 296: https://talkingtaiwan.com/psychological-defense-and-practices-to-manage-stress-for-the-people-of-taiwan-a-talk-with-dr-hsiao-wen-lo-ep-296/
FAPA: All About Its Essential Advocacy Work for Taiwan Ep 308: https://talkingtaiwan.com/fapa-all-about-its-essential-advocacy-work-for-taiwan-ep-308/
The Great Recall Movement in Taiwan: A Historic Unprecedented Boots on the Ground Exercise in Democracy Ep 316: https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-great-recall-movement-effort-in-taiwan-boots-on-the-ground-ep-316/
The Great Recall Explained by Courtney Donovan Smith Ep 317: https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-great-recall-explained-by-courtney-donovan-smith-ep-317/
The Day of Taiwan’s Historic Recall Vote Ep 321: https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-day-of-taiwans-historic-recall-vote-ep-321/