Dan Blumenthal is the Senior Fellow and Director of Asian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. We discuss the history that led to China's escalating tensions with Taiwan, why Americans should care about Taiwan remaining free, and the near-term prospects of a total collapse of the Chinese state.

Dan Blumenthal previously served as senior director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the Department of Defense. He is the author of "The China Nightmare: The Grand Ambitions of a Dying State and An Awkward Embrace: The United States and China in the 21st Century." Follow him on Twitter at @DAlexBlumenthal.