Presented to the Stimson Center/CNA NMD-China Project on January 17, 2002

Mulvenon asserts that the China-Taiwan-U.S. triangle of asymmetric capabilities, dominance and fervor, fosters a dangerously unstable environment in the Taiwan Strait, making escalation control difficult. He proposes strategic dialogue and operational talks aimed at improving crisis management between the U.S. and China, while calling for closer U.S. military coordination with Taiwan.