Some exciting (and long overdue) news: after a half-dozen years of labor, including research travel to more than a dozen cities across the Indo-Pacific and Europe, my new book—“U.S. ALLIES AND THE TAIWAN STRAIT”—is *finally* out! The PDF can be downloaded for free from the Cambridge University Press website. A suggested citation, link, and abstract are below:

• Liff, Adam P. U.S. Allies and the Taiwan Strait. Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Abstract: Against the backdrop of worsening tensions across the Taiwan Strait, this book analyzes the positions and policies vis-à-vis Taiwan of six major democratic US treaty allies-Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Germany-and the European Union. Historically and today, these US partners have exercised far greater agency supporting Taiwan’s international space and cross-Strait stability-in key instances even blazing early trails Washington would later follow-than the overwhelmingly US-centric academic and policy discourse generally suggests. Decades ago, each crafted an intentionally ambiguous official position regarding Taiwan’s status that effectively granted subsequent political leaders considerable flexibility to operationalize their government’s ‘One China’ policy and officially ‘unofficial’ relationship with Taiwan. Today, intensifying cross-Strait frictions ensure that US allies’ policy choices will remain critical factors affecting the status quo’s sustainability and democratic Taiwan’s continued viability as an autonomous international actor.

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I chose my straightforward framing, analytical approach, and the short book format—leaving tens of thousands of words on the cutting room floor—to make this study maximally accessible not only to fellow scholars from diverse disciplines, but also policymakers, journalists, and students around the world. There was an extraordinary amount of information to pack in about–depending on how you count–8-10 cases. Alas, the press’ strict word count ceiling required many difficult trade-offs and painful cuts. Within these constraints, I did the best I could to include the historical context and nuance that each of these important ally/partner cases deserves. The final result is surely im​perfect, but I hope that it is of some use and also facilitates further study of both these and the many other important cases that I had to leave out. 

Sadly, real-world developments since the manuscript text was effectively locked (in fall 2024!) have made understanding the agency and evolving roles of U.S. allies and partners in shaping Taiwan’s international space and cross-Strait peace and stability more important than ever.

I am deeply grateful to the scores of current/former officials and experts around the world who took the time to meet with me; the many friends and colleagues who provided a sounding board, helped me make contacts, or provided a venue for me to present my work; and, of course, the students at IU, Georgetown, and beyond who inspired–and in some cases, supported directly–my research in ways large and small. Though there are far too many individuals to name, I would like to express particular thanks to my Brookings colleague Richard Bush. The seed for this project was planted during a conversation with Richard in Taipei circa 2018–i.e., long before the Taiwan Strait had (re)emerged as a mainstream topic of conversation in most U.S. allies (2021-2022). In addition to his unflagging encouragement and support, Richard also read and critiqued an earlier version of the manuscript. Though the book format did not allow a formal acknowledgments section, the prominent references to his work within it are part of my effort to honor both him and the significant impact he has had over the years on my interest in and understanding of Taiwan.

Please take a look and share the book with anyone you think might be interested (it’s free after all!): https://bit.ly/49ljZ52