Memo to the Next President: The Inheritance in the Indo-Pacific and the Challenges and Opportunities for Your Presidency

By: Randall G. Schriver | 

The next President of the United States will assume office in an unprecedented historical moment with tremendous implications for international stability. In support of the challenges ahead, Project 2049 Institute Chairman Randall G. Schriver pinpoints security issues in the Indo-Pacific region that urgently demand the President-elect’s attention. He explains how international peace and prosperity rely on the success of Washington’s Indo-Pacific security policy. Chairman Schriver makes clear that stability in the region is supported by the fundamental principles that guide American policy in its partnerships around the world. Of these partnerships, one of the most critical to regional security is the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. Today, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) threaten this relationship and the principles that give it strength. In light of this challenge, Chairman Schriver delivers nine recommendations to safeguard democracy in the region and prepare the President-elect for the storm brewing across the Pacific. These recommendations include cooperation with regional partners on a spectrum of issues targeted toward advancing Taiwan’s international space—such as the pursuit of a U.S.-Taiwan free trade agreement; adoption of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative; integration of Taiwan’s military into the United States’ security architecture in the Indo-Pacific; and funding a War Reserve Stock Allies program in Taiwan; among others.