“No war for oil” is a well-known chant and message on signs at antiwar protests. It challenges a common special interest purpose behind United States military actions abroad.
It is time to start using an update variation of that chant and those signs.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stated in a Tuesday Twitter post that he is the only candidate who has committed, as president, to “militarily defending Taiwan” against China. Expanding on his war pledge, Ramaswamy wrote:
I favor strategic clarity: Defend Taiwan vigorously until the U.S. achieves semiconductor independence, then resume the posture of strategic ambiguity when the stakes are lower for the U.S. The American way of life depends on leading-edge semiconductors manufactured in Taiwan, and we can’t risk China gaining near-total leverage over the entire U.S. economy.
In the meantime, Ramaswamy calls for the US government to pursue expansive militaristic activities in and near Taiwan, stating “the U.S. should rapidly arm and train Taiwan with Anti-Access/Area Denial weapons while running at least one destroyer warship through the Taiwan Strait each week.” That sounds like a recipe for provoking the attack by China that Ramaswamy promises he would use the US military to counter.
It is time to nip this new justification for war in the bud. Start spreading the message loud and clear: “No war for semiconductors, no war for semiconductors…”
