Israel's Iron Dome for Taiwan?

Iron Dome: Rafael Advanced Defense System  (Google image)

 

Without a global navy, China has to contend with the nightmare of a US-led blockade. Understandably, therefore, Beijing is striving to impose its version of the Monroe Doctrine on the South China Sea and beyond. This, however, unavoidably deepens and widens the existing geopolitical fault lines in the Pacific region. Consequently, the Taiwan Strait is looking more and more like the sum of all dire straits. In dire straits, to paraphrase Machiavelli, people can't help but start worrying about the calm before the storm. The storm might well be a nightmare come true.


Taipei, indeed, has to be prepared for the worst. After all, history is full of tough stories, one of which tells us that, at the stroke of a pen, Britain signed away Czechoslovakia in the Munich Agreement of 1938. In theory at least, the US could do the same to Taiwan. It's little wonder that Taiwan spares no effort to cultivate an enduring friendship with the Czech Republic -- as a reminder of conscience to the free world.


In the meantime, Taiwan openly keeps dozens of US military advisors while incessantly asking Washington to upgrade the island nation's defense system. Speaking of which, China's possible infiltration in the Taipei government may keep the US on its toes, so much so that Washington is dragging its feet over the Iron Dome for Taiwan's air defense. Quite frankly, the Iron Dome would not be adequate to fend off China's hyper-sonic missiles (if indeed they're the real deal). That being said, whoever lets hyper-sonic missiles fly to Taiwan could be boomeranged. It won't be a pretty sight at the end of the day.


Sharing Taiwan's angst, Ukraine, having lost Crimea to Russia, is impressed by and interested in Israel's Iron Dome. Taiwan must be no less impressed or interested. As a matter of fact, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel are all constantly under threat, if not also under siege. Fortunately one of them happens to be a US arms dealer.

Author: renqiulan


英國《每日電訊報》2021年5月12日視頻：以色列“鐵穹”成功阻擊敵方哈馬斯的火箭星雨