NYC Harvard Club Book Promotion – “Why Taiwan Matters: A Short History of a Small Island That Will Dictate Our Future”

[johnkarls]

Originally Posted by johnkarls Tue Mar 11, 2025 6:58 pm – 197 views in Sec. 3 (Possible Topics for Future Meetings) before being transplanted here


I propose that we read “Why Taiwan Matters: A Short History of a Small Island That Will Dictate Our Future” by King’s College Prof. Kerry Brown (St. Martin’s Press 1/28/2025 – 213 pages sans notes & index – Hardcover $23.44 or $14.99 Kindle from Amazon.com).


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THE HARVARD CLUB OF NYC WILL CONDUCT A ZOOM WEBINAR WITH THE AUTHOR ON WED 4/2/2025 (such webinars typically comprise a 30-minute presentation followed by 30 minutes of Q&A).

FOR ANYONE WHO IS NOT A MEMBER OF THE NYC HARVARD CLUB AND WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WEBINAR, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT ReadingLiberally-SaltLake@johnkarls.com.

RECORDINGS OF SUCH WEBINARS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CLUB’S WEBSITE FOR A LIMITED PERIOD – IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACCESS THE RECORDING AFTERWARDS AND ARE NOT A MEMBER, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT ReadingLiberally-SaltLake@johnkarls.com AND I WILL ARRANGE FOR YOU TO ACCESS IT IF IT IS STILL AVAILABLE.

[The only advantage in participating in the webinar vs. see/hearing the recording ex post facto, is the ability to ask the author questions.]


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NYC Harvard Club Notice –

ZOOM NOON TALK – Why Taiwan Matters
Wednesday, April 2 @ 12:00 pm – 01:00 pm ET

Join Professor Kerry Brown, one of the world’s leading experts on Chinese politics, for a deep dive into the complex and high-stakes relationship between China and Taiwan. With decades of experience in academia, diplomacy, and policy analysis, Brown will explore the historical forces that shaped Taiwan’s identity, the geopolitical tensions driving today’s crisis, and the global consequences of a potential Chinese takeover.

As China grows more assertive under Xi Jinping, Taiwan stands at the heart of one of the most volatile flashpoints in international affairs. Brown will unravel the intricate web of political, economic, and strategic interests at play, offering expert insight into how Taiwan’s fate could reshape the global order.

Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London. A former diplomat and author of over 20 books on contemporary China, including The World According to Xi, he brings unparalleled knowledge of China’s political landscape and its implications for the world.

Mark Martinez, Program Committee


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Book Description per Amazon.com (usually quoting from the book’s dust jacket)

Taiwan expert Kerry Brown sums up the history of Taiwan and the danger of a Chinese takeover in this succinct and authoritative book.

When the bloody Chinese Civil War concluded in 1949, two Chinas were born. Mao’s Communists won and took China’s mainland; Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to Taiwan island. Since then, China and Taiwan have drifted into being separate political and cultural entities.

Taiwan is now a flourishing democracy and an economic success story: just one of its companies produces over 90 per cent of the semiconductors that power the world’s economy. It is a free and vibrant society. For the United States and the West, the island is a bastion of freedom against China’s assertive presence in the region. And yet China, increasingly bellicose under Xi Jinping, insists Taiwan is part of its territory and must be returned to it. Should China blockade the island and mount an invasion, it would set off a chain reaction that would pitch it against the US – escalating a regional war into a global one. Taiwan is thus a geopolitical powder keg.

Why Taiwan Matters helps us understand how and why we’ve arrived at this dangerous moment in history. With unparalleled access to Taiwan’s political leaders and a deep understanding of the island’s history and culture, Professor Kerry Brown provides a new reading of Taiwan, its twenty-three million people, and how they navigate being caught in this frightening geopolitical standoff. Why Taiwan Matters is the essential book for understanding Taiwan’s unique story told in an accessible, expert and urgent way.


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Author Bio per Amazon.com

Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London. Prior to that he was Professor of Chinese Politics at the University of Sydney, and Head of the Asia Programme at Chatham House, London. With 30 years experience of life in China, he has worked in education, business and government, including a term as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Beijing. He is author of over 20 books on contemporary China, including The World According to Xi: Everything You Need to Know About the New China (2018). He is currently working on a history of Britain's relations with China since the 16th century.


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Book Review Excerpts per Amazon.com

"A cogent and unsettling exploration of one of the key geopolitical issues of our time."
- Publisher's Weekly

“A thorough and unbiased overview. An excellent introduction for those newly curious about Taiwan and a handy refresher or useful reference for more seasoned readers.”
- William Hurst, Chong Hua Professor of Chinese Development in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge

“Brown is constantly interesting, always thoughtful, and refreshingly wise and knowing about China. He is also very readable.”
- Martin Jacques, author of When China Rules the World

“Why Taiwan Matters is an excellent account of a complex issue that is commonly misunderstood. The style is accessible, and the combination of political and historical context with on-the-spot observations is superb. Completely up-to-date, it presents information from the Taiwan side of the China–Taiwan conflict that is not readily available. This is the best introduction for anyone trying to understand this conflict.”
- Michael Dillon, author of We Need To Talk About Xi

“For those involved or just interested in international affairs, this is a readable and balanced primer on probably the most consequential global hotspot of our century.”
- Sir Nigel Sheinwald, former British Ambassador to the United States

“Kerry Brown is one of our most perceptive and accurate foreign observers of China.”
- John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor

“The great strength of Kerry Brown’s book is that it treats Taiwan as a place and people with their own identity, forged by their own history, linked with but also distinct from the mainland, and not just as an ‘issue’ or ‘problem’ or potential ‘flashpoint’…By exposing the complexities and ambiguities of the idea of Taiwan clearly, empathically but objectively, Brown has done a great service to readers everywhere.”
- Bilahari Kausikan, former Permanent Secretary, Singapore Foreign Ministry

“If you want to understand the twenty-first century, you need to understand Taiwan. And if you want to understand Taiwan, you need to read this book. A compelling synthesis of the issue by an expert in the field.”
- Elliot Ackerman, author of The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan

“Kerry Brown’s Why Taiwan Mattersis a factual, thoughtful and very well-written account of Taiwan at a crucial time not just for the Taiwanese, but for all of us. The book’s subtitle – How a Small Island Will Dictate the Global Future – could not be more apposite. The book explains, with great clarity, both why and how.”
- Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former British Foreign Secretary

“A thorough and nuanced analysis of Taiwan’s history, present and potential future.”’
- Michael Booth, author of The Almost Nearly Perfect People