CIMSEC – Every strategy is ultimately shaped by geography, and no geography in the Indo-Pacific is more decisive than Taiwan’s location between the Strait and the Pacific. For decades, Taiwan, its partners, and even its adversaries have assumed that the island’s fate will be decided westward, across the Taiwan Strait. But the Strait is no longer a protective moat; it is a narrowing corridor easily sealed by missiles, naval patrols, and even insurance premiums. The waters that once carried Taiwan to prosperity now form the most vulnerable seam in its defenses. Taiwan’s endurance depends on building resilience at home and reorienting its future growth eastward.