This is just an anti-Taiwan canard. Chen pushed hard for Taiwan’s status in the world because it was part of his domestic political strategy (and because they all support independence for Taiwan), but he was following the path blazed by Lee Teng-hui who long predates Bush. Nothing that Taiwan did was very bold, but Beijing’s strategy of painting longtime corporate lawyer and center-rightist Chen as a “radical” was highly successful, and you see many instances of it duping analysts and media commentators.

Bush’s promises soon turned to vapor, and as we all know, weapons sales to Taiwan have been frozen since at least 2006 and probably earlier.

What actually happened is even more interesting. By claiming to be “provoked” by Chen’s pro-Taiwan policies, China gained moral ascendancy over Bush Administration China policy — an ascendancy so complete that when Chen held referendums in the recent election, the US described it in the same terms as it did China’s anti-secession law. While hacking on Taiwan’s pro-democracy moves, the Bush Administration only weakly objected to China’s military buildup and its fundamental alteration of the situation in the Straits. As longtime journalist Jonathan Manthorpe bluntly put it: Bush’s Taiwan policy was “outsourced to Beijing.”

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Thankfully, wise heads have prevailed in Taipei and Washington as well as in Beijing. No one wants the rights of people to be free and thrive to be trampled, whether in Hungary, South Ossetia, or Taiwan
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The idea that Ma and the KMT are “wiser heads” then Chen or Lee is frankly, absurd. This is exactly backwards. By handing Taiwan off to China and permitting Beijing to bully its way into annexing an island no Chinese emperor has ever owned, the Bush administration has simply ensured that war will come — over the Senkakus, the Spratlys, the Natunas, or some other claim that China has yet to dream up. Or alternatively, that the democracies will lose their position in East Asia. Great work that.

BTW, South Ossetia will likely be swallowed by Russia, while Taiwan appears to be on its way to being annexed by China. The policy of “wiser heads” appears likely to result in “free peoples” being swallowed by authoritarian states, as well as further wars.

Michael

John, since this touches on curatorial issues, I’ll ask did you ever work with my friend and former colleague, Wally Owen? Wally was the curator at the Nixon Project and I remember during my tenure that he helped out with a number of issues when the library opened in Yorba Linda. BTW, Wally Owen was a member of the 1971 T. C. Williams High School Titans football team depicted in the Denzel Washington film, Remember the Titans. You can find a nice write up about Wally, including a description of his curatorial work at the Nixon Project, if you Google the words Wally Owen Original Titans 57

Maarja

Best, PM

I have searched for a poster of the Daday painting for some time, without success. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Russ