About this episode
Toshi Yoshihara, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and author of Mao's Army Goes to Sea: The Island Campaigns and the Founding of China's Navy , joins the show to discuss how the PLA took Beijing in 1949 by subversion, and how they may yet seize Taiwan. ▪️ Times • 01:53 Introduction • 03:24 Peaceful liberation • 07:19 Planning and preparation • 10:36 Isolation • 17:30 A tradition of manipulation • 23:51 True believers • 28:23 Helpless • 34:55 Political warfare • 41:53 Surprise • 47:32 Holy Grail • 50:51 Fault lines • 57:44 What to read? Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod , and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack