On Wednesday, February 6, former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby debated well-renowned Yale professor Timothy Snyder on whether the US should prioritize Taiwan over Ukraine. Snyder argued in favor of Ukraine and Colby argued in favor of Taiwan. They commented on the current geopolitical situation facing the US on these two fronts.
Tori Cook
Editor-in-Chief, The Beacon
On Wednesday afternoon, Richard C. Levin Professor of History and Global Affairs Timothy Snyder and former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby debated whether the US should prioritize Taiwan over Ukraine in front of an audience of over 100 Yale students, faculty, and New Haven residents.
Colby, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, argued the practical necessity of prioritizing Taiwan over Ukraine to halt China’s military expansion, which he named as the top threat from the “state America most needs to worry about.”
“China alone cannot hope to dominate America as it lacks the requisite power advantage, so how could China gain such power? By dominating its own neighborhood.”
He expressed his concerns that pouring aid into Ukraine would spread resources too thin in the event of serious conflicts in Taiwan, which he fears are impending. “I’m very worried about a war with China…The assessment from our government…is that they’re actively preparing for it.”
On the other hand, Snyder, who currently teaches a class entitled “Hitler, Stalin, and Us,” insisted that prioritizing Ukraine over Taiwan is not only essential to fulfilling America’s moral obligations and maintaining global morale—which he warned against taking lightly—but also to preventing the world war Colby referred to: “One of the things we can expect if Russia takes Ukraine is that China takes Taiwan.”
He claimed that those fighting for Ukraine are “trying to preserve democracy. If we let them lose, it is extremely unlikely that any democracy, including ours, is going to have the morale–is going to have the will–to do anything about the enormous challenges that Mr. Colby quite rightly describes in China.”
During questions and answers, students picked both speakers’ minds on America’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, the future of geopolitical dynamics between America, China, and Taiwan, and possible dangers for America and Taiwan if Russia takes Ukraine. Addressing weapons testing in Ukraine, Snyder claimed that American weapons “are being tested…the very weapons which can hold back a Chinese naval-based invasion of Taiwan.”
This event was one of a series of Firing Line Debates hosted by the William F. Buckley Jr. Program, with former debates covering topics such as the ethics and stakes of TikTok banning and whether or not the Supreme Court should have term limits.
A full recording of the event can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/GGS7DpvZv1c