tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post651406382211298071..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Stokes and Hsaio on the US Strategy and TaiwanMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-86768233854058175032012-04-17T23:23:48.919+08:002012-04-17T23:23:48.919+08:00As much as it pains me to say, at the end of the d...<b>As much as it pains me to say, at the end of the day I think many Taiwanese think it's just not really very CONVENIENT to have to do crazy stuff like put your life on the line to protect a crony democracy. History has scarred many psyches with the lesson that there is no nation or leader worth dying for.</b><br /><br />If it gets to the point where war is the only solution (any war, not just Taiwan), then you've already lost anyway. Downing sticks and going home at that point is the only sensible decision - anything else is simply cowardice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-57795919496163722742012-04-17T16:11:12.822+08:002012-04-17T16:11:12.822+08:00While it is true that many people in Taiwan are fe...While it is true that many people in Taiwan are feeling helpless by the eventual encroachment from China I couldn't disagree more with Readin assessment about the nature of Taiwanese people.<br /><br />Consider this, that Taiwan has been singled out by just about every country in the world for any armaments purchase you might as well call it a treatment of arm embargo. They were forced to operate the ancient F-104 fleets and destroyers left over from WW2 until the mid-90s. As matter of fact even today they are still using submarines left from the last War with no hope of upgrade in sight. And the same limitation apply to technology transfer as well it is next to impossible to get anything done without China stepping on their toes every step of the way. <br /><br />There is no international support on their sense of sovereignty, no media on both the conservative and the liberal leanings to speak on their behalf. Those of us who watched the US media that dabbled on Taiwan's last presidential election you'd notice that they reported the candidates mainly in the context of reaction from China, and eschewed for the most part their platforms or even who their constituency are. No recognition of sovereignty also means little leverage of signing equal trading agreement with other nations. <br /><br />This long history of purposeful neglect in relation to the rest of the world has not only warped the locals sense of self-identity but it has also caused many top talents drain since many able-bodies simply picked up and left behind what must have felt like a God-forsaken place. I myself am one of the expatriates.<br /><br />Now think about what Taiwan has attempted and achieved despite all the apparent roadblocks that keep it from becoming a thriving Chinese nation of liberal democracy. When we discuss this issue of US security interest in the Far East, or more specifically the strategic "islands of first defense" against a communist regime of China, it is utterly hypocritical to blame Taiwan for its lack of determination to play the part without looking at US and her western allies for their long history of neglect and ambivalent attitude toward the place.Andrew Chenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10136085401503278816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-41164596012297945722012-04-17T08:27:03.768+08:002012-04-17T08:27:03.768+08:00As a veteran, I've been dealing with the Repub...As a veteran, I've been dealing with the Republic of China military for a long time. There's no other foreign group of military officers and men that deserves American respect and admiration as the ROC on Taiwan. Ask any former CIA guy, US Army helicopter pilot with service in Vietnam, or military advisor who has worked with the ROC military, and they'll tell you the same. <br /><br />Despite treatment these days as pariahs, the ROC military is as loyal, committed, and true friends as they come. As Kissinger said in his memoirs, "No government less deserved what was about to happen to it than that of Taiwan."<br /><br />How many ROCAF pilots lost their lives over China supporting CIA operations? What kind of balls did it take for treetop helicopter missions in Vietnam? Not true at all on Taiwan support for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Chen would have sent special forces into combat if given the chance. Instead, the ROCs dedicated well over $100 million in assistance in kind in support of US operations in Afghanistan. Engineers were on ground. Communist China promised support and failed to live up to it. And Bush never said thank you to Taiwan. Taiwan has also supported US ops in Iraq in their own way.<br /><br />The ROCs can take a crap sandwich and make a gourmet hamburger. Shouldn't prejudge or underestimate one of America's oldest and most loyal friends until you've work with them.hawk21noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-35803095357239589792012-04-17T02:02:38.189+08:002012-04-17T02:02:38.189+08:00Besides Taiwan, what other defense and security es...Besides Taiwan, what other defense and security establishment in the region is specifically oriented toward China and willing to align itself closer to the United States? The problem is US hesitancy, not Taiwan. South Korea is focused on the North. Japan’s Self Defense Forces are also oriented toward North Korea, and they have strict prohibitions on long range precision strike. Japan also has strict limits on interoperability with the US. Both South Korea and Japan have significant relationships with the PLA, and are only willing to go so far. The Philippines barely has a military, and Thailand is quite friendly to China. Australia is fairly weak in committing to closer US ties. Even the Obama administration avoids any public assertion that Air Sea Battle is directed against China.<br /><br />Taiwan is the only defense establishment in the world that is explicitly and openly focused on China, and more than willing to embrace the United States. Plus, a number of CSIST programs directed against China have been the cause of concern in the US, mostly related to Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) considerations. Programs initiated under the KMT in the late 1990s, and continued under the DPP, are now starting to come on line. They never stopped, and fortunately don't get much attention. In November 2010, Apple Daily reported that the US refused a visa for the CSIST director to protest programs believed to be provocative, such as the HF-2E land attack cruise missile. <br /><br />And why is the Obama administration continuing to stiff arm the Ma administration’s request for F-16 C/Ds? One reason may be because they have the range to hit targets deep inside China (and it's worth noting that a selected number of pilots have "one way tickets," meaning they know they may not be coming back after hitting targets, at least with their fighters). In some ways, the Ma administration seems to be going back to the old Hau Po-tsun approach to defense investment – publicly highlight a pure defense strategy, but throttle up low key investments that can hit China where it hurts. These guys are velvet glove - soft exterior but hard at the core. <br /><br />Keep up the fight, Michael!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-55541729627011653642012-04-16T10:03:21.241+08:002012-04-16T10:03:21.241+08:00Readin has a point here. I wouldn't like to e...Readin has a point here. I wouldn't like to estimate what percentage of even a fully voluntary Taiwan military facing overwhelming PRC air / land/ sea attack would down tools and up sticks back home rather than stand their ground. Now if they saw that the US military was on their side and ready from the off maybe that would not be the case but even then the Taiwanese would be fighting with very old equipment.<br /><br />As much as it pains me to say, at the end of the day I think many Taiwanese think it's just not really very CONVENIENT to have to do crazy stuff like put your life on the line to protect a crony democracy. History has scarred many psyches with the lesson that there is no nation or leader worth dying for.Ben Gorenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07215358295386075741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-25214140062114589982012-04-15T23:22:29.933+08:002012-04-15T23:22:29.933+08:00I wouldn't use Readin's vocabulary... but ...I wouldn't use Readin's vocabulary... but I guess it can't be denied that the US has enough and far better suited allies in the pacific (S. Korea, Japan, Philippines, Thailand) than Taiwan could ever be, considering the political situation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-65779653923812657192012-04-15T05:45:49.571+08:002012-04-15T05:45:49.571+08:00"This piece would have been stronger if Hsiao..."This piece would have been stronger if Hsiao and Stokes had explained how the US is going to get around the interpenetration of Taiwan's intelligence services by Beijing. Or how the US is going to work on deepening the alliance when a pro-China ideologue like Ma is in power."<br /><br />It's not just Ma. The Taiwanese people elected Ma despite his clear signals that he wants to surrender the island. Even under the DPP the Taiwanese were unreliable allies with Chen promising as quickly as possible that no Taiwanese troops would be put in danger to support American allies in Iraq or Afghanistan.<br /><br />The Taiwanese are weak sisters and cannot be counted on as the center of the front-line of a defense against Chinese expansion. Rather than losing valuable American lives in a ultimately doomed attempt to defend a people unwilling to defend themselves, it makes more sense to work with more reliable allies like Korea and the Philippines.Readinnoreply@blogger.com