Taiwan: Quest For Recognition (9/14/06)

We have not had an IIF discussion about Taiwan in over two years, which somewhat surprises me. True, Taiwan comes up from time to time as we talk about other topics, mainly the PRC, but it has not been at the center of one of our discussions since the stormy election back in the spring of 2004, when Director General R.C. Wu of the Atlanta Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) joined us as our guest. So when Nicole Denison from TECO informed me that "an accomplished scholar of international politics and human rights," Professor Lung-chu Chen, would be coming to Atlanta, and would be available to come to one of our Thursday evening discussions, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to put Taiwan back on our calendar. Nicole said that Dr. Chen would be interested in talking about "Taiwan's bid to join the United Nations ... Taiwan's defined status in regard to international law, and the movement of the Taiwanese people over the past 20 years to be recognized in the international community." That will be our starting point, and we can branch out into other matters relating to U.S.-Taiwan relations.

Background Information

Several recent articles that Dr. Chen has written about Taiwan:
This nation shall one day prevail at the UN
Taiwan Relations Act serves global peace
Taiwan less isolated in new global perspective
Democracy needs both diversity and unity
To flourish, showcase the nation's rich culture
Creating a constitution from the bottom up

Early last year, The Economist did one of its excellent Surveys about Taiwan:
Dancing with the enemy: A survey of Taiwan

Also from The Economist:
Country Briefing: Taiwan
Backgrounder: Taiwan's politics

Finally, here are a couple of recent reports from the Congressional Research Service:
Taiwan: Recent Developments and U.S. Policy Choices 02-28-06
The Rise of China and Its Effect on Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea: U.S. Policy Choices 01-13-06

Tying Up Loose Ends

Revisiting and updating the topics we have taken up in the last few months. Here is a list:

04-13 Immigration

04-20 The National Security Strategy

04-27 Italian Election

05-04 Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

05-11 South American Elections

05-18 Eastern Europe

05-25 Nepal

06-01 Israeli/Palestinian Conflict Redux

06-08 Intelligence

06-15 Darfur

06-22 Terrorism

06-29 North Korea

07-07 American Competitiveness

07-13 Mexican Presidential Election

07-20 G-8 Summit

07-27 Israel/Lebanon

08-03 China

08-10 The Copenhagen Consensus

08-17 Congo Election

08-24 Sunni/Shiite Divide

08-31 Russia

The most significant recent development was in the presidential election in Mexico. Felipe Calderon was certified by the Federal Election Tribunal as the winner of the election and the President-Elect. His opponent Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador and his supporters nonetheless vowed to continue to contest the results.

In Darfur and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there have been disturbing developments. Back in the U.S., the House and the Senate have passed conflicting immigration bills and do not appear to be able to get together on a compromise. And, of course, trouble is still brewing in the Middle East, with Israeli conflicts with Palestinians in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon remaining unsettled.

Feel free to post other new developments you think are significant.

Russia (8/31/06)

The U.S. relationship with Russia has changed quite a bit since the end of the Cold War. With the Soviet Union we had a Great Power rivalry that involved containment and mutually assured destruction. Since the fall of communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union, there have been hopes that Russia would be integrated into the West, and attempts, with varying success to bring that about. Now many believe that increasing Russian independence indicates that the country has decided to go its own way. Recent comments by Vice President Cheney and Senator McCain have been quite critical, while remarks by both President Bush and Secretary of State Rice have been more conciliatory. What does all this means for how we should engage with Russia?

From the current issue of Foreign Affairs:

Russia Leaves the West

Two notable scholars with very different views onU.S.-Russia relations. First Stephen Cohen:

The New American Cold War

and Zbigniew Brzezinski:

Zbigniew Brzezinski Assesses U.S.-Russia Relations

Living With Russia

These two Foreign Affairs articles were published a couple of years ago:

A Normal Country

Flight From Freedom: What Russians Think and Want

A good article about another factor that is certain to affect future U.S.-Russia relations:

Russia's Clout in World Energy Market