J. Michael Cole

A native of Quebec City, J. Michael Cole has been based in Taipei, Taiwan, since 2005 and is a researcher specializing in security and geopolitics. The author of several books on Taiwan and China and more than 1,000 articles, Cole has worked in journalism, research, and government. He serves as a consultant on geopolitics and security for the private sector and certain governments. His latest book, *The Taiwan Tinderbox: The Island-Nation at the Center of the New Cold War*, was published in 2025. He served as Senior Advisor at the International Republican Institute (U.S.) for its Countering Foreign Authoritarian Influence (CFAI) unit. Before arriving in Taiwan, he was an intelligence officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in Ottawa. He holds a Master’s degree in the Conduct of War from the Royal Military College of Canada, an International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance from the Center for International Health and Cooperation at Fordham University, and a CX-77 Diploma in Peacekeeping from the Lester B. Pearson International Peacekeeping Centre.