Once upon a time, somewhere deep in the tropics, there existed a repressive dictatorship. A military government of outsiders ruled this poor country with an iron fist, imposing martial law and silencing opposition with the not-so-subtle tactics of torture and arbitrary imprisonment. This poor country's tacit support from the United States government stemmed not so much from their embrace of democratic ideals as from their stubborn anti-communism.
This familiar scenario has been played out countless times, but unlike similar situations in Latin America and the Middle East, Taiwan has gone through an incredible metamorphosis. Instead of an unstable history of armed uprisings and military coups, this Asian "Minidragon" has transformed itself into a thriving capitalist country with a penchant for rambunctious democracy. A few weeks ago, it took the final step in becoming the first Chinese-speaking nation in history to elect their leader in a free democratic election.
The vision of Taiwan that we have hides this dark history of the last 50 years. In spite of its image as a maker of cheap toys and computer parts, Taiwan only emerged from martial law nine years ago. As recently as the late '80s, Taiwan was listed by Amnesty International as a country where torture was regularly employed by the government. The darkest part of Taiwan's history occurred 49 years ago. Known as the 228 incident (for February 28), 20,000 native Taiwanese were massacred by mainland Chinese troops in an armed uprising. Most of the victims were the intellectual elite and those considered threats to the Nationalist government.
The current tension between Taiwan and the belligerent communists on the mainland places the U.S. in the classic dilemma of ideals versus convenience. The Clinton administration has walked a tight rope recently, trying to balance U.S. business interests in China with our ideological interest in a strong and democratic Taiwan.
In a surprising and hopeful sign, Clinton sent two carrier groups into the region to counter Chinese intimidation of Taiwanese voters, but his advisors still voice the same tired policy of "one China." How ironic that the House and Senate Republicans are the most vocal supporters of human rights and recognition for Taiwan and Tibet, while Clinton steers clear of any actions or statements which might disrupt U.S. business in China.
On the world stage, Taiwan is a peculiarly important nonentity. Boasting the14th largest trading economy and the second largest foreign reserves in the world, Taiwan is universally shunned by all major governments because of continued Chinese threats and intimidation. Perhaps Americans never wonder why the Little League teams from Taiwan are forced to compete under the name "Chinese Taipei," or why Taiwanese athletes in Atlanta this summer will be forbidden from competing under their nation's flag.
These indignities insult the people as well as the recently legitimized government of Taiwan. The idea that we should not antagonize China given its economic and political importance is valid, but how many of our ideals are we willing to compromise in the name of appeasement? What sort of principles do we have left to cling to when we let authoritarian Communist dictators decide who can and cannot set foot on U.S. soil?
In the next few months, the success or failure of President Lee could become a symbol of whether true democracy will ever occur in that part of East Asia. The experience of Taiwan is proof that a society based on a strongly traditional culture can survive and thrive in democracy and freedom.
In his speech at Cornell last year, President Lee "recognized that full democracy could engender ultimately peaceful change, and that a lack of democracy must be confronted with democratic methods, and lack of freedom must be confronted by the idea of freedom." It is sad that because of the complex diplomatic nature of the Taiwan-China situation, President Lee might never be able to express these sentiments in our capital, the cradle of democracy in the free world.
President Lee and the Taiwanese people deserve better than that, and so do those of us who still believe in the ideals and principles on which our country was founded.
Benjamin Lu is a junior in Saybrook College.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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