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