A debate over whether Taiwan believes in its own defense has flared up after a US magazine questioned the island's will to fight, and the political response is that self-doubt is the real danger.

• An Atlantic piece asked whether Taiwan will give up on itself, pointing to polls where under a quarter of people see the US as a reliable ally and only about a third think Washington would help if China attacked.
• DPP lawmaker Chen Kuan-ting warned of a downward spiral: if Taiwan looks unprepared, allies pull back, and that makes Taiwan even more pessimistic.
• The flip side is a positive loop — stronger defenses draw in more intelligence, training, technology and diplomatic backing from partners.
• War games cited in the article say beating a Chinese invasion depends on Taiwan resisting hard while outside help arrives fast.
• Lawmaker Puma Shen pushed back, saying the article twisted his legal alternative service into "draft dodging" and stripped his criticism of old-style military training out of context.

Outlook: Expect Taipei to push harder on both military buildup and messaging abroad, arguing that visible capability is what keeps allies committed.