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No you massively overestimate the importance of economics or semiconductor industry. Whatever will happen to Taiwan has nothing to do with Chips. For China it'
by rat87 4y ago
No you massively overestimate the importance of economics or semiconductor industry. Whatever will happen to Taiwan has nothing to do with Chips.
For China it's about nationalism, for US it's about protecting allies/upholding treaties and protecting democracy from the strongest authoritarian regime. Chips are not important. After all chances are high they might be destroyed even in a successful defense of Taiwan.
As a Ukranian American I wish we had and were doing more for Ukraine but it's not about chips or economics. Ukraine had only recently grown closer to the US. The US has promised to defend Taiwan for a long time (well sort of, arguably the US does keep some strategic ambiguity about this which might let it wiggle out)
- l33t233372 4y agoThe US is really not _that_ interested in protecting democracy from authoritarian regimes. If we were, we’d have boots on the ground in many African states. While upholding treaties is vitally important, I think you’re underestimating the importance of chips(a rare occurrence on HN!). Wars are generally fought over resources rather than ideas, and pretending that US is defending Taiwan to defend democracy instead of defending its strategic interests (access to vital resources — chips) is misguided.
- JAlexoid 4y agoThis is very typical of HN - complete ignorance of anything other than tech, and even within the tech sector. Loss of TSMC would result in chips shortage, but not when it comes to critical and military infrastructure. There's a lot of resources at stake, and semiconductors are just one part of the whole.
- nscalf 4y agoI don't know where you got the idea that the US will not go to war to protect the US economy, national security, or military capacity, but you are severely misunderstanding the situation. That is why the military exists. We spend the amount we do on the military to support American economic dominance and define the rules on how world trade happens. The reason we are not doing more for Ukraine is because they are not very important to the US, outside of being a buffer against Russia. Ideas like "protecting democracy" are used to sell citizens on wars they don't care about. The full destruction of TSMC is likely preferred over a Chinese dictated world technological economy. The truth is, if one side has TSMC chips and the other doesn't, what we're talking about may necessitate a total war.
- JAlexoid 4y agoYou're overestimating the value of semiconductor industry in this hypothetical. TSMC chips aren't critical, considering that ASML can also deliver the same equipment to US... and cut off China from their equipment. (or sabotage in critical cases) There's a myriad reasons, why US would probably would send in military to protect Taiwan. But it's not going to be "just because TSMC"
- tsimionescu 4y ago> For China it's about nationalism, for US it's about protecting allies/upholding treaties and protecting democracy from the strongest authoritarian regime. I doubt this is true for China (I very much suspect economic concerns trump any other concerns for them as well), but I am quite convinced you are wrong about the USA - one of the biggest supporters of non-democratic regimes in the world. There is little in US history to suggest they have any preference for a democratic regime over a subservient autocratic one. They are also extremely clearly uncaring of international treaties. And make no mistake: the USA is coordinating Ukraine's defense because it sees it as a good chance to weaken Russia, not out of some deep care for the people of Ukraine.
- CamperBob2 4y agoone of the biggest supporters of non-democratic regimes in the world... ...to fight the spread of Communism.
- tsimionescu 4y agoHow is supporting Saudi Arabia helping fight the spread of Communism?
- CamperBob2 4y agoValid point there; I was thinking South/Central America.