Why Taiwan is blowing it!

In America everyone likes the little guy. Perhaps it’s our Judeo-Christian heritage that extols the virtues and courage of David versus Goliath. The American revolution was based on a small, ragtag bunch of colonists taking on a dominant British Empire. The U.S. support for Britain, Israel, Kosovo and other nations in war are based on helping out the 'little guy' who faces overwhelming odds and a superior enemy. Even our sports culture is reflective of this as well in Hollywood films such as the blockbuster movie series Star Wars (again a theme of a few fighting against the mighty) or the classic American film starring Jimmy Stewart in 'Mr. Smith goes to Washington.'

Americans always cheer for the underdog, which is why the New York Yankees have been termed by some as the 'the Evil Empire.' Why? Because the Yankees have more money to spend on quality talent when other teams have to recruit talent through the baseball draft system. You may ask "what does this have to do with Taiwan?" Well, America raced to the Republic of China’s side before, during and after World War II because it was an Asian democratic David [Christian nation] fighting, at various periods throughout its modern history, a Goliath Japanese army, famine, poverty, illiteracy or communism.

China was the little guy, the underdog and America embraced her as her own unequivocally. So the nation now commonly known as Taiwan took advantage of America's embracement and projected the false image of an embracement of western culture, democracy and liberty. In effect, the government of Taiwan as embodied by Chiang Kai-shek used the military, political and monetary generosity of the United States to stockpile personal fortunes and a state machinery to ensure obedience to the [his] government. Now the old leaders of Taiwan and the United States are gone. Gone also is the archaic belief of political alliances based solely on historical religious sentiment.

Taiwan for the past 30 years has now had to form alliances based on shared western values in dealing with the United States and as a beacon of democracy in Far East Asia. In both categories… it has failed miserably. Taiwan is losing ally after alley because it decided to practice dollar diplomacy (e.g., we give a nation money irrespective of its ideology or state practices) at the expense of international norms and behavior. A good example of this would be Taiwan’s whole-hearted and isolated support of apartheid South Africa simply because South Africa recognized Taiwan.

Although this is Taiwan's past history, Taiwan still loses daily support among foreign scholars, students and workers that reside in Taiwan. The Taiwanese government, culture and society are detached from the democratic programs and policies that it promotes abroad and it seems as if it enacts such policies and programs because other nations have similar programs. The ‘keeping up with the nation-state Jones’ attitude shows how rudderless the Taiwanese government is, and how it operates in a vacuum in dealing with other nations and cultures within Taiwan.

It is no wonder that Taiwan loses ally after ally because the students, scholars and workers that reside in Taiwan go back to their home nations and in effect say “Taiwan is not worth the trouble.” As a 'little guy' Taiwan has had golden opportunities to show its foreign guests that Taiwan shares the western values of fairness, democracy and accountability within its social framework. However, many students, scholars and workers who have resided in Taiwan return home becasue of the disparate treatment of the non-Chinese and the hiding behind the bureaucratic shell game [regulations] to avoid accountability or promises made to them. Yes, I was one of those typical Americans who came to Taiwan because of my support for the little guy (Taiwan) and I was determined for her voice to be heard internationally. But it is now also true that I believe that Taiwan has blown it; but now like most Taiwanese even I, at times, don't care. Taiwan has managed to defeat itself without ever having engaged the enemy.