Alperovitch: ‘Going to War with China Would Mean Risks That We Have Never Witnessed as a Nation Before’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT BAIER This ░░░░░░░░ from the prologue U ░░░░░░░░ officials had warned Taiwanese ░░░░░░░░ for years that under ░░░░░░░░ circumstances could they fire ░░░░░░░░ first shot they had ░░░░░░░░ take the Chinese punch ░░░░░░░░ retaliating And yet as ░░░░░░░░ warning signs had gathered ░░░░░░░░ the Pacific the United ░░░░░░░░ had found itself preoccupied ░░░░░░░░ Olympic festivities had merged ░░░░░░░░ wall to wall coverage ░░░░░░░░ another contentious and fraught ░░░░░░░░ presidential election Having completed ░░░░░░░░ military build up and ░░░░░░░░ its forces poised to ░░░░░░░░ China issued an ultimatum ░░░░░░░░ Taipei Peacefully join the ░░░░░░░░ s Republic of China ░░░░░░░░ face immediate consequences There ░░░░░░░░ the risk of a ░░░░░░░░ exchange the probability of ░░░░░░░░ was hard to estimate ░░░░░░░░ couldn t be dismissed ░░░░░░░░ that how you see ░░░░░░░░ going down ALPEROVITCH I ░░░░░░░░ it s very likely ░░░░░░░░ scenario I said is ░░░░░░░░ 2028 The book is ░░░░░░░░ fiction but we wanted ░░░░░░░░ provide a realistic if ░░░░░░░░ scenario of how this ░░░░░░░░ unfold and the stakes ░░░░░░░░ for the United States ░░░░░░░░ have not of course ░░░░░░░░ fought a nuclear power ░░░░░░░░ to war with China ░░░░░░░░ mean risks that we ░░░░░░░░ never witnessed as a ░░░░░░░░ before Even if it ░░░░░░░░ conventional the casualties we ░░░░░░░░ experience we haven t ░░░░░░░░ since World War II ░░░░░░░░ eclipse it So we ░░░░░░░░ to do whatever it ░░░░░░░░ to deter this conflict ░░░░░░░░ s what I outlined ░░░░░░░░ the book for the ░░░░░░░░ in doing so.”