Panel: Ukraine Was Wake-up Call to Taiwan and its Allies

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and
Chinese President Xi Jinping | AP

Japanese and American professors on March 23 analyze the impact of the invasion of Ukraine on the policies of the Indo-Pacific and especially what it means for Taiwan.

Key Points

From March 23 Webinar: Taiwan, Japan and U.S. Relations After Ukraine

• The Ukraine invasion is a wake-up call to the Taiwanese people. Polls in December showed 40 percent of Taiwan’s people would pick up weapons if invaded. Now it’s at 74 percent.
• Russia made several serious mistakes with the Ukraine invasion and Beijing is observing those. If Beijing considers invading Taiwan, it will better mobilize cyber warfare and shorten the time it takes to invade and occupy Taiwan. Otherwise, the international community will come together to support Taiwan.
• China initially used what it called a “peaceful offensive” against Taiwan to keep the two economies intertwined. Since Xi has been president, he considers a divided nation unacceptable. Xi is now willing to sacrifice economic interests for sovereignty. Adm. Philip Davidson, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, predicts a Taiwan invasion “in the next 6 years.” 
• Japan’s strategic thinking on Taiwan has shifted to a much higher level of attention in recent years. It is less than 100 miles from Japan’s southern most island. Taiwan’s economy and the Indo-Pacific waterway are critical to Japan. Also, China’s official statements and behavior toward Taiwan are now more aggressive and urgent.
• The U.S.-Taiwan relationship has increased in the last decade. While it has never said it would come to Taiwan’s rescue, the U.S. has sold weapons to Taiwan for its defense. Polls show 52 percent of the U.S. public believes we should defend Taiwan. If China takes military action, it has to assume the U.S. will be involved. China isn’t ready to fight the U.S., just as the U.S. doesn’t want to fight China. 

In a panel moderated by Professor Floyd Ciruli, Director of the Crossley Center, the participants were: 

• Koji Murata – Professor, Doshisha University, Kyoto
• Suisheng Zhao – Professor, Korbel School Director of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation
• Floyd Ciruli – Professor, Korbel School Director of the Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research

The Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research, the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver and the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation, with the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, sponsored the event.

U.S. Image Improves in NATO Countries

Recent polls show the image of U.S. leadership in Europe has improved since the Trump presidency. It still has a high disapproval rating in several key countries, such as the UK (52% disapproval), Germany (55%) and France (53%). However, there was a 20 percent jump in approval from the end of 2020 to mid-2021 in the 20 of 27 NATO members surveyed both years.

Read The Buzz: U.S. Unity on Russia as Threat. Divisions on NATO.

Panel: U.S., Japan and South Korea roles in Maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with
Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi's visit in Pyongyang,
June 2019 | Photo: KCNA / via Reuters

Japanese and American professors on March 16 discussed the tensions and challenges arising in the Indo-Pacific region, focused on South Korea and its new conservative government and the nuclear ambition of North Korea.

Key Points

From March 16 Webinar: U.S., Japan and South Korea roles in Maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific

• The invasion of Ukraine is a shock – even in Asia. A permanent member of the UN Security Council just invaded its neighbor with no provocation. How will the Security Council operate when one member with veto status acted with such aggression? We need to think outside the box because they box is no longer there.
• Democracies all have a role to play and an important role is to put aside small differences and realize that this attack on Ukraine is an attack on us all.
• China doesn’t want to be seen as a criminal. We have to somehow engage China.
• One of the unintended consequences of Mr. Putin’s gross mistake is that the U.S. and Europeans have never felt so close together. It will be replicated in other parts of the world – including with the Republic of Korea and Japan. 
• With the sheer number, militarily, of the South Koreans, the Japanese and the Americans, we outnumber the Chinese PLA [People’s Liberation Army]. With South Korea, Japan and the U.S. can safely engage with the Chinese and defend the international order.
• Will South Korea’s incoming president Yoon manage the country’s challenges in an a la carte fashion, or play a leading role in addressing Indo-Pacific issues? The expectation is that Yoon will try to strengthen ties with Japan, but the domestic audience in both countries remains strongly resistant to mending the relationship.

In a panel moderated by Professor Floyd Ciruli, Director of the Crossley Center, the participants were: 

• Nobukatsu Kanehara – Senior Advisor to the Asia Group, Tokyo; Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Abe; Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Secretariat
• Junya Nishino – Professor, Director of Center for Contemporary Korean Studies, Keio University
• Christopher Hill – Newly confirmed ambassador to Serbia, former ambassador to Korea, head of U.S. Delegation to Six-Party Talks

The Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research and the Consulate-General of Japan, with the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, sponsored the event.

Russia’s Ukraine Invasion Revives NATO

NATO criticism has receded and support increased across Europe. A March 20, 2022 YouGov survey reported by the Economist shows a sharp increase in support for NATO compared to March 2019. In 2019, during the Trump administration, NATO was frequently the target of his criticism as a financial burden of questionable worth protecting freeloading countries. Europeans also expressed some concern, and President Macron, never a big advocate, declared NATO experiencing “brain death” in terms of its purpose. He has shifted his position recently. 

NATO support in France, although lower than other European countries (47%), grew from 39 percent to 47 percent in the last 2 years (2020-21). Germany’s government has also changed its position on military spending. The German public at 64 percent support for NATO gained 30 points since 2019. Another German poll just conducted showed 53 percent of the public support Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s increase of $110 billion for defense and NATO spending goal of 2 percent of GDP.

The Russian invasion has focused public opinion on security and NATO has been the winner.

Read The Buzz: U.S. Unity on Russia as Threat. Divisions on NATO.

Madeleine Albright – Advocate for DU

(L to R) Floyd Ciruli, John Kerry and Madeleine Albright

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who spent much of her childhood in Denver and on the University of Denver campus with her parents, just passed away. Her father, Josef, was the first dean of the international relations school, which was later named for him, the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. His daughter became the first woman Secretary of State and one of his top students became the first African-American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

In recent years, Madeleine was frequently on campus for events, always interacting with students. In 2018, she joined a panel I moderated with her fellow former Secretary of State John Kerry for an hour-long panel on foreign policy and American politics. She had just released her book, “Fascism: A Warning,” a timely read for today. As a European refugee, she took special interest in European affairs and was an indefatigable defender of democracy as a diplomat, a teacher and an advocate.

(L to R) DU Chancellor Chopp, Floyd Ciruli,
Madeleine Albright and John Kerry

See The Buzz: DU Hosts the Secretaries of State

Americans Want Tougher Response to Putin

Several new polls show the U.S. public is shifting toward a tougher response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nightly media coverage of the physical damage, loss of life and millions of refugees are putting pressure on President Biden and American policymakers to implement more policies to oppose the invasion. But, they are also highly supportive of what is being done. Sanctions have 68 percent approval and banning Russian oil 70 percent.

AP-NORC Poll

Source: AP-NORC, March 17-21, 2022

Format: Crossley Center 2022

See AP-NORC poll here

China-Russia Friendship – Any Limits?

The key points made by experts at the March 10, 2022 Crossley Center panel on China-Russia Friendship – Any Limits?. Although they see some important short-term objectives for China from the relationship with Russia, they see many limits, especially highlighted by the invasion of Ukraine.

Key Points
From March 10 Webinar: China-Russia Friendship – Any Limits? 

• The Indo-Pacific region has acted more in sync with Europe regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine compared to the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 – a courageous decision for Japan who shares a border with Russia and is heavily dependent on Russian imports.
• While China has agreed to align with Russia to counter economic sanctions imposed by Western countries, China abstained in the United Nations vote condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This, together with Xi’s virtual meetings with Germany’s chancellor and France’s president to find a solution to the war, signal that China hasn’t entirely sided with Russia.
• Russia and China don’t have shared values, but do have shared threats by the U.S. as they both attempt to restore their past glory as empires.
• Japan’s free and open Indo-Pacific policy is inclusive, not exclusive. It has agreed to cooperate with China’s Belt and Road initiatives in the Indo-Pacific. 
• North Korea’s push to develop nuclear missiles is reinforced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian aggression against Ukraine would not have happened if Ukraine had nuclear weapons.
• Neither Japanese Prime Minister Kishida nor U.S. President Biden are hawkish, but neither are doves. Prime Minister Kishida’s foreign policy is based on realism. He has to consider relationships with neighboring China, North Korea and Russia. The strategy is to work with allies and like-minded countries to face challenges.
• The Russian invasion of Ukraine has put China in a bad diplomatic situation. The war will damage China’s economic interests, and the rallying of countries around the world against Russia has given China pause. China could use the crisis as an opportunity to position itself as a responsible member of the international community. 

The panel was moderated by Professor Floyd Ciruli, Director of the Crossley Center. 

• Akiko Fukushima – Senior Fellow of Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research
• Tsuneo Watanabe – Senior Fellow of Sasakawa Peace Foundation
• Suisheng Zhao – Professor, Director of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation

The Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research, the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver and the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation, with the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, sponsored the event.

China-Russia Friendship – It Has Limits

The Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research March 10 panel of experts on Asian foreign policy believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has produced a significant warning for China on its “no limits friendship” with Russia. In their final comments to the question of the downside to the partnership, they said:

Akiko Fukushima, Senior Fellow of Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research. Believes China is demonstrating caution reflected in UN abstentions and communications with President Macron and Chancellor Scholz. She hopes China wants to act as a responsible leader in international affairs.

Tsuneo Watanabe, Senior Fellow of Sasakawa Peace Foundation. Ukraine has demonstrated the dangers of changing the status quo. He was impressed with the private companies who have chosen to withdraw from Russia, reflecting significant independent action as another element an aggressor country must consider.

Suisheng Zhao, Professor, Director of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation. Hopefully, Ukraine demonstrates that Putin is dangerous for Russia, but also China and the world. China must work with countries, but U.S. will need to change policy and work with China. Talk to them more.

Taiwan: Japan and U.S. Relations After Ukraine

Join Japanese and American professors on March 23 as they analyze the impact of the invasion of Ukraine on the policies of the Indo-Pacific and especially what it means for Taiwan. 

The Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research, the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver and the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation are continuing their program of bringing Japanese foreign policy experts together with their counterparts at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies.

In a panel moderated by Floyd Ciruli, Director of the Crossley Center, the participants are:

• Koji Murata – Professor, Doshisha University, Kyoto
• Suisheng Zhao – Professor, Korbel School Director of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation

Some of the questions that will be considered:

• Does the China-Russian Beijing Winter Olympics accord help or hurt China?
• How has Ukraine affected China’s Taiwan ambitions and Taiwan’s strategy?
• Will Japan’s new government alter its strategy toward Taiwan?
• If President Xi wins another term, is Taiwan’s independence more endangered?

Join the Conversation!

Position of Taiwan in U.S., Japan and China Relations

March 23, 2022
3:00 pm MT

REGISTER HERE

The Crossley Center’s public engagement programs aim to attract thought-leaders and policymakers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds to participate in an informed and civil public conversation. The purpose is to give DU audiences and Coloradans an understanding of the major influences affecting their politics and policies.

The Voice of KOA Morning Radio Retiring

April Zesbaugh, Floyd Ciruli and Marty Lenz

Congratulations to April Zesbaugh for 30 years as the voice of Colorado’s No. 1 radio station, 850 KOA drivetime morning show. She probably did more than 6,000 shows and 60,000 interviews. With her many co-hosts, now Marty Lenz, she interviewed the newsmakers, problem-solvers and troublemakers, and in my case, political analysts, that kept Colorado drivers informed, amused and entertained. Colorado will miss her talent, her voice, and her genius for breaking news.

She’s moving to a warmer climate and a later morning sleep-in time.

Thank you April, and good luck in your next adventure.

Ciruli Family Started in Produce and Are Still at It

In the 1920s, the second generation of Cirulis in Pueblo, Colorado, built on the fathers – Giuseppe and Amedeo – started and built a produce business that by the 1960s stretched from the Arkansas and San Luis Valleys in Southern Colorado to Denver and Phoenix.

Today, 100 years later, the fifth generation of Cirulis operate the business out of huge, refrigerated warehouses in Rio Rico, Arizona, near the Mexico border north of Nogales.

CEO Chuck Ciruli III; Frankie and Sammy Ciruli,
sons of COO Chris Ciruli; and Chuck Ciruli II, chairman.

Ciruli Bros. are proud of their long history and now produce the premier mango imported into the U.S., the golden colored Champagne mango. You will be able to buy it in Whole Foods soon.

Great job Cirulis.

Read Produce News: Ciruli Bros. Champagne mangos aim to stand out from the crowd

North Korea Has Started Testing Again. What’s Next?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with
Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi's visit in Pyongyang,
June 2019 Photo: KCNA / via Reuters

Join Japanese and American professors on March 16 as they discuss the tensions and challenges arising in the Indo-Pacific region, focused on South Korea and its new conservative government and the nuclear ambition of North Korea.

The Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research and the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver are continuing their program of bringing Japanese foreign policy experts together with their counterparts at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies.

In a panel moderated by Floyd Ciruli, Director of the Crossley Center, the participants are:

• Nobukatsu Kanehara – Senior Advisor to the Asia Group, Tokyo; Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Abe; Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Secretariat
• Junya Nishino – Professor, Director of Center for Contemporary Korean Studies, Keio University
• Christopher Hill – Newly confirmed ambassador to Serbia, former ambassador to Korea, head of U.S. Delegation to Six-Party Talks

U.S., Japan and South Korea Roles 

in Maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific

Join the Conversation

March 16, 2022

3:00 pm MT

REGISTER HERE

The Crossley Center’s public engagement programs aim to attract thought-leaders and policymakers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds to participate in an informed and civil public conversation. The purpose is to give DU audiences and Coloradans an understanding of the major influences affecting their politics and policies.

Biden Moves Up, Bump Confirmed

Politico reports in new polling: “Biden posted his best approval rating in months following his first State of the Union address” and also found a major improvement in his handling of the Ukraine crisis.

NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll was the first to report a bump for President Biden of 8 points. His overall average in RealClearPolitics has moved up 3 points in the last week. Other polls reporting increased in approval are Reuters/Ipsos (3 points), Quinnipiac (2 points) and Politico/Morning Consult (4 points).

As I predicted with Ron Brownstein in The Atlantic on the eve of the State of the Union, the invasion and outrage over Putin had created a wave of patriotic and humanitarian feelings that, along with Biden’s actions and the timing of his speech, would be a “rally effect.”

Read:

Morning Consult: Biden’s Approval Rating Improves After State of the Union as More Back His Tack in Ukraine

The Buzz: Will Biden Get a Bump From Putin?

The Buzz: Rally Effect for Biden

Clearing Homeless Encampments is a Crisis from D.C. to Venice Beach

A new

Homeless encampments on Connecticut Avenue NW, in Dupont
Circle, Washington D.C. | Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Washington Post poll shows 75 percent of D.C. residents support shutting down large homeless tent encampments. The support crosses age, income and racial groups. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s program has drawn the ire of homeless advocates, the ACLU and some local politicians. But, they are isolated voices. The public is not supportive of their position.

In Los Angeles “amid deep frustration over widespread, visible homelessness,” more than half of voters “want the government to act faster and focus on shelters for people living on the streets, even if those efforts are short-term and fall short of permanent housing” (57% short-term solutions to 30% long-term housing) (LA Times and LA Business Council Institute, 12-21). Ninety-four percent of residents believe homelessness is a “serious” or “very serious” problem, 79 percent said homelessness has gotten worse and 20 percent said they have considered moving out of their neighborhood because of camps. They associate it with crime and a less safe environment.

Homeless encampment along the Venice Beach boardwalk,
May 2021 | Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times

Every candidate running for LA mayor to replace Eric Garcetti has made homelessness their top issue. They have been forced to address the issue in a political environment of deep skepticism due to previous promised solutions and commitments of hundreds of millions of dollars for housing and programs providing little improvement.

Even California statewide politics is being affected by the public’s concern about homelessness. A February poll by Berkeley IGS shows that homelessness and crime are areas of greatest criticism for Governor Gavin Newsom as his approval sinks and now barely exceeds disapproval (48% approve, 47% disapprove). Two-thirds of California voters believe Newsom is doing a “poor” or “very poor” job in handling the issue of homelessness up 12 points since 2020.

Democratic controlled jurisdictions are unhappy with their leadership and it’s shaping the hostile environment the party is operating in during 2022.

Read The Buzz: Homelessness is Becoming a Political Crisis

China-Russia Friendship – Any Limits?

Moscow and Beijing have declared their opposition

to further enlargement of NATO and to the formation of

other regional security alliances | Li Tao/Xinhua/Getty

Join Japanese and American professors on March 10 as they examine the tensions and challenges arising in the Indo-Pacific region, including the China-Russia entente and the impact of the Ukraine crisis.

The Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research and the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver are continuing their program of bringing Japanese foreign policy experts together with their counterparts at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies.

In a panel moderated by Floyd Ciruli, Director of the Crossley Center, the participants are:

• Akiko Fukushima – Senior Fellow of Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research
• Tsuneo Watanabe – Senior Fellow of Sasakawa Peace Foundation
• Suisheng Zhao – Professor, Director of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation

Some of the questions that will be considered:

• What does the China-Russia pact mean for the Indo-Pacific?
• Does Ukraine and the Western response harm or strengthen Taiwan’s security and independence?
• North Korea has started missile tests again. What is the strategy for diplomacy and deterrence after the Trump administration?
• President Xi Jinping is likely to win another term. What does it mean for diplomacy and security in the Indo-Pacific?

Japan and U.S. Relations in Light of New

Administrations and Challenges in the Indo-Pacific

Join the Conversation
March 10, 2022
3:00 pm MT

REGISTER HERE

The Crossley Center’s public engagement programs aim to attract thought-leaders and policymakers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds to participate in an informed and civil public conversation. The purpose is to give DU audiences and Coloradans an understanding of the major influences affecting their politics and policies.

Rally Effect for Biden

The first poll since the State of the Union shows what I expected. Biden was going to benefit from a rally effect from Ukraine and the confluence of good news delivered around the State of the Union. He received an 8-point rally effect in an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll since their last poll in February. Democrats were up 11 points and independents 10 points. Even Republicans bumped up 4 points. If this rally is confirmed with additional polls or is sustained over time remains to be seen, but it was welcome news for Democrats.

Issues

Biden’s approval went up handling three main issues: Ukraine, pandemic and the economy.

• Ukraine: Up 18 points to 52%. Democrats went up 27 points, independents 17 points.
• Pandemic: Up 8 points to 55%.
• Economy: Up 8 points to 45%.

Speech

The speech itself last Tuesday (3-1-22) was popular among the who watchlist (71%). It was judged making people feel optimistic (67%) and proud (53%) (CBS News poll). Of course, the audience tends to be more interested in politics and government and favorable to the speaker, but Biden needed a boost with supporters and appears to have received it.

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address,
March 1, 2022 | Saul Loeb/Pool/Getty Images

Read The Buzz: Will Biden Get a Bump From Putin?

U.S. Unity on Russia as Threat. Divisions on NATO.

NATO activated the NATO Response Force for
collective defense and deterrence, Feb. 2022 | NATO photo

Even before the invasion of Ukraine, a mid-February (Feb. 17) poll of Americans showed 59 percent rating Russia a critical threat. This was a jump from 44 percent a year ago and a 10-point rise from the 49 percent who rated them a critical threat after the seizure and annexation of the Crimea in 2014-15.

Nearly nine in ten Americans (86%) have an unfavorable view of Russia, up 25 points since 2014. The approbation is bipartisan, with 74 percent of Republicans and independents seeing them negatively and 84 percent of Democrats.

But Gallup reports a partisan difference on both judging NATO as doing a good job and maintaining a commitment to it. In terms of its job performance, 65 percent of Republicans believe it’s doing a poor job whereas 70 percent of Democrats believe it’s doing a good job. The overall public is divided in half, with 48 percent rating its job performance good and 45 percent saying bad. 

Although a majority of Americans support the alliance – 65 percent favoring maintaining or increasing the commitment to NATO – even here, there are significant partisan differences. More than two-out-of-ten Republicans would withdraw entirely from NATO and another 28 percent would decrease the U.S. commitment to it (50% total) whereas only 13 percent of Democrats and 28 percent of independent are in that category. Eighty-one percent of Democrats would increase the NATO commitment, but only 46 percent of Republicans would do the same.

Will Biden Get a Bump From Putin?

Sudden increases in presidential approval from international events have become more muted and rarer recently due to the U.S.’s polarized politics. The last major jump in presidential approval was for George W. Bush in 2001 after 9-11 (34-point bump). President Obama’s bump was very modest and short-lived in 2011 after Osama bin Laden was killed (May 2) (6-point bump).

Could President Joe Biden benefit from a rally effect? His approval has been at or below 40 percent for weeks. Any bump would be welcomed by Democrats. There are a couple of reasons a bump could be possible.

• Sympathy for Ukraine and president Zelensky has surged. Republicans moved the most with independent voters toward seeing Russia as a threat and President Putin as a bad person.
• Biden’s performance has been judged, if not inspiring, as steady and the right tone for the stakes and the risk. He advocated alliances and international cooperation from his State of the Union address and the sanctions have been forceful
• Europe, recently passive, has come alive to the threat and united in helping Ukraine beyond even optimistic expectations. Biden gets some credit for that.

I told Ron Brownstein before the State of the Union that the contrast with Donald Trump’s pro-Russian statements and Vladimir Putin becoming the face of a cruel dictator could benefit Biden.

Floyd Ciruli, the director of the University of Denver’s Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research, says the global outrage over Putin’s invasion has triggered a “wave” of support for nations linking arms to support democracy and resist aggression. “At any of these moments in national tragedies or threats, you need the whole wave moving in the right direction” to lift a president, Ciruli told me. “This is a very tough time; we are very polarized, and there is obviously going to be criticism from Republicans. But nonetheless I do think he has a wave, and if he can ride it well in the next few days, it benefits him.”

President Biden delivers his State of the Union address on March 1, 2022 as
Vice President Kamala Harris (L) &Speaker Nancy Pelosi listen | CBS NEWS

Russia Threatens Nuclear War Again

In 2015, a year after Russia seized the Crimea, President Vladimir Putin announced in a television production celebrating the annexation that he was prepared to raise the alert status of his nuclear forces if there was a military reaction from the West.

Hence, his actions in 2022 are not new or a surprise. The Crimea action was a fait accompli. The West and specifically the U.S. took no military action. Now, however, Europe, the U.S., NATO and the numerous democratic states in the world are protesting the Ukraine invasion in real time. Many European states are supplying lethal arms to Ukraine defenders, which is unnerving for an anxious autocrat who wants a quick win.

The Biden administration’s response to Putin’s nuclear saber rattling is to excoriate it as mostly “unprovoked escalation” and “manufactured threats” and state that America’s deterrent is always at a high alert level.

DEFCON

If the U.S. actually believed nuclear weapons were to be used in a region or worldwide, it would raise its alert status, which, along with greatly alarming world leaders and the public, would change the movement and preparation of submarines and bombers.

On three occasions the U.S. alert status; i.e., DEFCON (Defense Readiness Condition), has been raised. The closest moment to nuclear war was in the tense days of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 when President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev faced off over Cuba, President Nixon raised the status in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and President George W. Bush put the U.S. at DEFCON 3 after 9-11.

Read The Buzz: Nuclear Weapons and the Kremlin

Does Ukraine Affect the Security and Independence of Taiwan?

Japanese and American professors and policy leaders will begin a month-long program on the tensions and challenges arising in the Indo-Pacific region, including the impact of the Ukraine crisis.

The Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research and the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver are continuing their two-year-old program of bringing Japanese foreign policy experts together with their counterparts at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies to discuss the changing conditions affecting the U.S. and Japanese alliance and the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.

Some of the questions that have become more salient in the last year:

• How does the Russian-Chinese relationship affect conditions in the Indo-Pacific?
• Do events and the Western response in Ukraine harm or strengthen Taiwan’s position?
• North Korea has started missile tests again. What is the strategy for diplomacy and deterrence after the Trump administration?
• President Xi Jinping is likely to win another term. What does it mean for diplomacy and security in the Indo-Pacific?

Three new panels are scheduled in March. More details will follow.

1. Thursday, March 10 - Japan and U.S. Relations in Light of New Administrations and Challenges in the Indo-Pacific
2. Wednesday, March 16 - U.S., Japan and South Korea Roles in Maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
3. Wednesday, March 23 - Position of Taiwan in U.S., Japan and China Relations

Japan and U.S. Relations in Light of New
Administrations and Challenges in the Indo-Pacific

Join the Conversation
March 10, 2022
3:00 pm MT

REGISTER HERE

The Crossley Center’s public engagement programs aim to attract thought-leaders and policymakers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds to participate in an informed and civil public conversation. The purpose is to give DU audiences and Coloradans an understanding of the major influences affecting their politics and policies.