Trump is showing Beijing how to seize Taiwan
Since returning to office last year, U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered military strikes from the Caribbean and eastern Pacific to Africa and the Middle East, targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats and suspected terrorist groups. He has attacked Venezuela and kidnapped its leader, Nicolas Maduro. And he has joined Israel in a large-scale assault on Iran that amounts to a major escalation from last year’s strikes, which supposedly “obliterated” the country’s nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, he is tightening a noose around Cuba, in the hopes that the resulting humanitarian crisis will open the way for a “friendly takeover” of the island by the United States.As Trump acts with open contempt for international law, China is taking notes. The Cuba model, in particular, offers a useful blueprint for Chinese President Xi Jinping to apply in pursuing his “historic mission” of “unification” with Taiwan. This is a live demonstration of how a superpower can strangle a country into submission.Modern societies depend on a handful of critical systems such as food, water, transportation and communications. But one system rules them all: energy. Electricity powers water pumps, refrigeration, health care, digital networks and industrial and agricultural production. Once the grid begins to fail, so do all other critical systems — and social stability. This makes countries that depend heavily on imported fuel to generate electricity fundamentally vulnerable.
