Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February, experts in geopolitics had begun speculating about the implications for China's plans for Taiwan, the independently-run island Beijing has long claimed as its own. But what of opinion in Taiwan itself? Since the war started 5,000 miles away, many Taiwanese have felt a strong sense of identification with Ukraine, a democracy fighting for its right to exist against a larger neighbor. Yet Russia’s attack has also induced a fresh sense of realism about Taiwan’s preparedness for a potential future war with China, and whether it could count on any help from the U.S. and its allies in such a situation.  March polling from the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) showed 78 percent of Taiwanese people had little or no confidence that it could hold off an attack from China on its own, a dramatic rise from 47 percent in November 2021, though the polls did not specify whether Taiwan would have outside aid in such an ev