I have long felt that Liberals need to come up with broader goals in foreign policy to combat the neocon monopoly on position taking. Hiding from the world and our responsibilities as the greatest power is certainly not the right answer, but neither is going to war at the drop of a hat. I'm curious about what your gut reactions are to big breaking foreign policy stories like the one discussed here:
The announcement that Taiwan is a mutual security concern for both Japan and the United States is provocative in timing and content. Coming on the heels of North Korea declaring itself a nuclear power and its subsequent withdrawal from the six-party talks, the creation (or really, affirmation) of an American-Japanese commitment to defend Taiwan continues the trend of polarization in the region.
What is the liberal foreign policy position here? More below the fold.
On one hand,
recent reports by US Intelligence suggest that the recent Chinese military buildup could tip the already skewed balance in the region completely towards China. Affirming support for Taiwan, a nation that has against all odds undergone its own indigenous democratic revolution, is something that Liberals should of course stand for.
Too much saber-rattling in the region, on the other hand, could disturb the admittedly fragile peace between China and Taiwan and could result in a increase of tensions in a region already suffering from a belligerent North Korea. Personally, I think this announcement is a mistake. But perhaps China is feeling internal pressures and feels that the current overextension of the US military makes the present time an excellent one to press Taiwan.
This would, however, contradict most of what has happened between the two sides since the elections in Taiwan last December. Historic irect flights from Taiwan to the mainland took place over the New Years holiday. President Chen of Taiwan has softened his rhetoric against China and is even meeting with the oppositional leader and noted pro-China advocate James Soong to discuss cross-straits policy.
Is the US capable of supporting a democratic Taiwan without causing a war? What should the US be doing about the Cross-Straits situation? What should we as liberals think?