A Foreign Legion for Taiwan?

Amid intensifying tensions with the PRC and Taipei's bid to improve its military readiness, officials are taking a page out of the French and American playbooks - a foreign legion! Maybe.

As Radio Free Asia reported a few months ago, "Legislator Richard Chen said that there were talks about various models including a U.S. model, where foreigners could spend two years in service and get awarded with citizenship, but things needed to be deliberated through a proper process which 'has yet to start.'" This comes as Taipei continues to face a manpower shortage despite reintroducing mandatory one-year military service in 2024.

The domestic and external dynamics Taiwan is wrestling with mirror those of several other states I examine in my book project , as well as the theory presented in my International Security article, so give those a peak and stay tuned if you want to learn more!