台灣問題一開始不過是國共內戰的延伸，然而韓戰的爆發以及接踵而來的冷戰將這個小問題轉變成大問題，並演變成一相當復雜的議題。會讓這個問題變得如此復雜的兩個因素即在於美國的干涉以及台灣長久以來法律地位的爭議。從國共內戰開始，美國直接干涉亞洲事務已超過五十年。至今，美國依然在台灣議題中扮演相當重要的角色。從台灣問題上退出對美國來說並非合宜的選項，因為這可能會犧牲美國在亞太地區的安全，並間接影響其對盟友之誠信。本文意圖探討復雜的台美關係，因其不僅關乎台灣之未來與存亡，亦是唯一可能引爆美、中關係衝突之來源。

Initially the Taiwan issue was no more than a simple internal matter created by and emanating from the Chinese Civil War. However, with the Korean War and the Cold War, this relatively small domestic matter turned into one of the world's greatest and most complicated issues. The two factors that arose of these events that created this complicated issue were the US getting involved and the undecided nature of Taiwan's legal status. For more than fifty years now, the US has become directly involved in Asian affairs beginning with its involvement in the Chinese CivilWar. Currently the US still remains deeply entrenched in the Taiwan issue. Withdrawal from Taiwan is not a viable option and certainly would compromise security not only in the Asia Pacific but internationally. This article aims to explore the complicated relationship between US and Taiwan, as this concerns Taiwan's future and it's the only issue that could drag two superpowers into conflict.