Crisis in the Taiwan Strait?

September 11 altered much in international affairs, but not fundamental anxiety over the impasse across the Taiwan Strait. In the year since writing this article, cross-Strait trends have remained highly troublesome despite initiatives that may appear on the surface to facilitate reconciliation over time.

WTO accession and leadership change in China will likely serve as a constraint on its external behavior in the near term, including over Taiwan. However, China continues to demonstrate little interest in political initiatives or a true "hearts and minds" campaign, hallmarks of a patient, peaceful approach to the issue. China continues to rigidly refuse overtures from