Jessica Drun is a non-resident fellow at the Project 2049 Institute, where she specializes in political and security issues relating to China and Taiwan, cross-Strait relations and Taiwan's domestic politics. Drun earned her A.B. in International Affairs from the University of Georgia and her M.A. in Asian Studies from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. She has previously held positions at the National Bureau of Asian Research, the National Defense University, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. In this lightly edited interview, she discussed America's current approach to Taiwan and its historical context.
Jessica Drun.Illustration by Kate Copeland
Q: How did you come to work on U.S.-Taiwan policy and with Project 2049?
A: I'm Taiwanese-American, so growing up, my mom would take me to Taiwan every summer. We speak Mandarin at home, and spending summers with grandparents in Taiwan, I was able to pick up colloquial Taiwanese. In coll