U.S.Strategies in Maintaining Peace across the Taiwan Strait choice between standing by and stepping in.As Richard Bush proposed above,some type of confederation would accommodate Beijing's pursuit of unification and Taiwan's claim to independent sovereignty within a na- tional union.This view accords with Tucker's argument that the United States has no reason to block China's unification process if it is acceptable to both sides of the Taiwan Strait.In the words of Thomas Christensen,if Taiwan wanted to accommodate the mainland,Washington could do little to prevent it.8 The worst-case scenario for the United States is to entangle itself in a war caused by Taipei's movement toward de jure independence or Beijing's determination to unify China by force.A war between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is not in Washington's interest as it would then face a dilemma in decision-making.Some neo-conservatives in the United States may believe that Washington should do its best to protect a democratic Taiwan and let Taiwanese freely decide their future,including a formal declaration of independence if that is what they want.Other hard-liners on the right may want to play the "Taiwan card"to provoke a war across the Strait and therefore stop the momentum of China's "peaceful rise."How- ever,these extreme viewpoints do not represent the mainstream American voice.Given the significantly divided opinions among politicians and the public in the United States regarding whether the United States should withdraw from Iraq soon,it is difficult to imagine that the United States as a whole is willing to fight another war with the PRC simply for the sake of Taiwan independence. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Strategic Ambiguity In an effort to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait,the United States long ago adopted a strategy of "creative ambiguity"regarding its Thomas Christensen,"The Contemporary Security Dilemma:Deterring a Taiwan Conflict," The Washington Quarterly 25,no.4(Autumn 2002):7-21 at 16. June 2007 221U.S. Strategies in Maintaining Peace across the Taiwan Strait June 2007 221 choice between standing by and stepping in. As Richard Bush proposed above, some type of confederation would accommodate Beijing's pursuit of unification and Taiwan's claim to independent sovereignty within a na￾tional union. This view accords with Tucker's argument that the United States has no reason to block China's unification process if it is acceptable to both sides of the Taiwan Strait. In the words of Thomas Christensen, if Taiwan wanted to accommodate the mainland, Washington could do little to prevent it. 8 The worst-case scenario for the United States is to entangle itself in a war caused by Taipei's movement toward de jure independence or Beijing's determination to unify China by force. A war between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is not in Washington's interest as it would then face a dilemma in decision-making. Some neo-conservatives in the United States may believe that Washington should do its best to protect a democratic Taiwan and let Taiwanese freely decide their future, including a formal declaration of independence if that is what they want. Other hard-liners on the right may want to play the "Taiwan card" to provoke a war across the Strait and therefore stop the momentum of China's "peaceful rise." How￾ever, these extreme viewpoints do not represent the mainstream American voice. Given the significantly divided opinions among politicians and the public in the United States regarding whether the United States should withdraw from Iraq soon, it is difficult to imagine that the United States as a whole is willing to fight another war with the PRC simply for the sake of Taiwan independence. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Strategic Ambiguity In an effort to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait, the United States long ago adopted a strategy of "creative ambiguity" regarding its 8Thomas Christensen, "The Contemporary Security Dilemma: Deterring a Taiwan Conflict," The Washington Quarterly 25, no. 4 (Autumn 2002): 7-21 at 16