Whether one likes it or not, the paths of Taiwan and the US seem to be tightly entwined.
This was proved again on Tuesday, when just eight months after voters here decided to put an end to eight years of rule by a man and his party, the US electorate followed suit, choosing an opposition party figure to replace a president who has been berated and lampooned in equal measure.
US president-elect Barack Obama’s victory on Tuesday was an epoch-defining moment. Not only will he become the first black president in the history of the US, but his victory brings the curtain down on one of the most controversial and divisive presidencies of all time. Many Americans are hoping that, come January, their new president can quickly rebuild bridges and repair their country’s tarnished global image. They also hope he can re-establish what many call the US’ “moral authority,” something badly eroded by two terms under President George W. Bush.
This is similar in some respects to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) victory in March, as he was the first non-Taiwanese to be elected president, and on promises that he would turn Taiwan into a cross-strait “peacemaker,” not a “troublemaker.”
Obama swept to power on a message of change, convincing voters that he has what it takes to change the politics of Washington and heal the deep rifts that persist in US society.
US voters put their faith in a message of hope, unity, a new direction for their country and promises of better economic management — again echoing Ma’s campaign.
Obama’s victory, if one looks at the Electoral College, would appear to be a landslide, but with 52.3 percent of the popular vote compared with Republican Senator John McCain’s 46.4, Obama knows he has a lot of people to win over. This was apparent in his victory speech when he told those who did not vote for him: “I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices … and I will be your president, too.”
Ma’s margin of victory was slightly larger at 58.45 percent, but he too recognized the need for unity and promised to work for all Taiwanese. On the night of his victory he told the gathered crowd: “This election result is not a personal result, nor a victory for the KMT [Chinese Nationalist Party], it is a victory for all Taiwanese.”
Obama has a much broader and complicated range of tasks to handle than Ma. However, the tasks are similar in this: Obama will take charge of a state that has a problem with its international standing.
It is in the world’s interest that Obama is up to the huge task that has been placed on his shoulders, because the alternative is deepening uncertainty and instability — feelings that most Taiwanese are burdened with just six months into Ma’s term.
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry gives it a strategic advantage, but that advantage would be threatened as the US seeks to end Taiwan’s monopoly in the industry and as China grows more assertive, analysts said at a security dialogue last week. While the semiconductor industry is Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” its dominance has been seen by some in the US as “a monopoly,” South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University academic Kwon Seok-joon said at an event held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In addition, Taiwan lacks sufficient energy sources and is vulnerable to natural disasters and geopolitical threats from China, he said.
After reading the article by Hideki Nagayama [English version on same page] published in the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Wednesday, I decided to write this article in hopes of ever so slightly easing my depression. In August, I visited the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, to attend a seminar. While there, I had the chance to look at the museum’s collections. I felt extreme annoyance at seeing that the museum had classified Taiwanese indigenous peoples as part of China’s ethnic minorities. I kept thinking about how I could make this known, but after returning
What value does the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hold in Taiwan? One might say that it is to defend — or at the very least, maintain — truly “blue” qualities. To be truly “blue” — without impurities, rejecting any “red” influence — is to uphold the ideology consistent with that on which the Republic of China (ROC) was established. The KMT would likely not object to this notion. However, if the current generation of KMT political elites do not understand what it means to be “blue” — or even light blue — their knowledge and bravery are far too lacking
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