These overreactions would seem laughable if they didn’t have such a great potential to inflict harm — both on tobacco smokers trying to quit and teen vapers who are more likely to use dangerous bootleg products.
The bottom line is that the concept of transatlantic solidarity, even on collective defense, is now largely confined to out-of-touch political elites on both sides of the Atlantic.
What more is required to demonstrate the foolish aggressiveness of US officials who consistently overestimate the effectiveness of military action and underestimate the difficulty of international social engineering?
Instead of providing for Taiwan’s defense from China, what the F-16 deal will do is give Taiwan the confidence to act in ways that aggravate China and encourage China to act more aggressively in turn.