War with China: Thinking Through the Unthinkable

Abstract

War between the United States and China could be so ruinous for both countries, for East Asia, and for the world that it might seem unthink- able. Yet it is not: China and the United States are at loggerheads over several regional disputes that could lead to military confrontation or even violence between them. Both countries have large concentra- tions of military forces operating in close proximity. If an incident occurred or a crisis overheated, both have an incentive to strike enemy forces before being struck by them. And if hostilities erupted, both have ample forces, technology, industrial might, and personnel to fight across vast expanses of land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. hus, Sino- U.S. war, perhaps a large and costly one, is not just thinkable; it needs more thought.