The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato

The Threatened Democracy

A few weeks ago, the senior editor of the Features section at the Taipei Times asked me to write a review of a new book on the Taiwan Strait titled Taiwan: The Threatened Democracy, written by Bruce Herschensohn, a former adviser to US president Richard Nixon. Given that US arch conservatives from centers such as the Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institutes often appear in the Opinions section of the Times, and that Herschensohn falls on that side of the political spectrum, I jumped on the occasion to provide a counter to the usual arguments on Taiwan and China propounded by the American Right.

I find it unfortunate that the Right, rather than the liberal Left, has seized on the Taiwan “cause,” as it puts into question that group’s true motive for defending Taiwan’s right to exist as a free nation and makes one wonder if the “freedom” and “democracy” they purportedly defend are not in fact euphemism for regional hegemony in a bid to counter the Chinese “threat” the Right is so hysterically up in arms against.

The Left, so far largely silent on the issue, needs to start arguing in favor of Taiwan, which is what I hope to have begun by publishing the review.

Readers can access the full text of my review article by clicking here.