Beneath their economic strength, Taiwan, Israel, and Poland share a survival blueprint: three democracies navigating volatile neighborhoods, driven by fierce cultural identities and a need to defend sovereignty against larger, often hostile forces. Their circumstances differ profoundly — in size, population, and strategic weight; Israel and Taiwan diverge in legal status, geography, and military doctrine; Poland, a country of nearly 40 million and a pillar of NATO’s eastern flank, occupies a different strategic tier altogether. But those differences don’t weaken the analogy. They sharpen it. What unites these nations isn’t identical situations, but a common strategic mindset. In a world reshaped by geopolitics, that shared instinct is more than theoretical — it may be essential for survival.

Traveling through Taiwan, I kept experiencing a sense of déjà vu — the kind familiar to anyone who knows Israel well. Both countries show that geography doesn’t have to determine destiny.

Since its modern founding, Israel has faced constant questions about its right to exist, challenged by hostile neighbors. Taiwan faces a similar threat, under persistent pressure from across the Taiwan Strait. Instead of succumbing to geopolitics, both societies have........

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