Modern vice presidents can trace much of their political influence to the broad reforms that Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale made to the second-highest elected office in the late 1970s.

Taiwan’s fate will have major implications for U.S. security and prosperity. It will also bear on fundamental questions of international order and the future of democracy.

Biden’s trade agenda is trying to tackle climate change, domestic jobs, and great power competition, but trade-offs are inevitable. A clear vision on priorities is essential. 

U.S. reliance on Taiwanese chips gives it a major stake in preserving peace in the Taiwan Strait but does not make a war between China and Taiwan less likely.