Finally, given all the focus in Washington on the fate of the opposition, it's important to remember this: The Kremlin didn't sabotage the opposition; the opposition committed collective suicide, completely de-legitimizing their agendas, and quite possibly politics in its normative sense, for a long time to come. 

Peter Lavelle
United Press International
Moscow, Russia

Friendly Fire 

In "Wagging the Dog" (Fall 2004), Gvosdev and Tanner are correct to bring up the problems with America rubber stamping controversial decisions made by its most vulnerable allies. But Gvosdev and Tanner would do well to take a look at the governments in Tbilisi, Taipei and Jerusalem. Each of the three countries mentioned has a parliamentary system that awards small, single-issue parties disproportionate power in the national governments. Nowhere is this more obvious than Israel, where several small but powerful parties focus primarily on the issue of settlers. If America were to push harder for Sharon to halt settlements, America would serve both U.S. and Israeli interests. Sharon has realized that many of the settlements will eventually have to be dismantled, and if America pressed a little harder, it could act like the bear in the room. This sort of tough love would serve all parties involved. 

Moshe Zvi Marvit
Pittsburgh, PA

Gvosdev and Tanner do not grasp the Taiwan situation correctly. Chen Shuibian does not pursue Taiwan's formal independence. His party takes the position that Taiwan is already a sovereign state, thus no formal declaration of independence is necessary. In his inauguration speeches in 2000 and 2004, he has made concessions to China (the Five Nos). He has offered olive branches to China on many occasions, only to be rebuffed time and again. 

A great majority of the Taiwanese prefer keeping their hard-won freedom, and there have been mass demonstrations demanding a referendum and constitutional overhaul. As a leader in a democracy, Chen cannot ignore the people's yearnings. To Bejing, the mere existence of democratic Taiwan is a threat to its authoritarian rule and a provocation. The United States should have the presence of mind not to adopt Beijing's definition of provocation as its own. 

Beijing has not accepted the status quo; it is steadily adding to the number of missiles targeted at Taiwan and expanding its nuclear strike force capable of hitting the U.S. homeland. Beijing constantly threatens Taiwan with calamity if the island does not capitulate soon. Taiwan should be given credit for standing up to such diplomatic and military pressure and thus contributing to the stability of East Asia. If Taiwan were forcibly annexed by China, the U.S.-Japanese alliance would be destroyed and China would emerge as the hegemon of all Asia. The greatest threat to U.S. national security is not terrorism or North Korea, but a surprise nuclear attack from a China empowered by U.S. inattention and lack of foresight. 

What is most likely to cause a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is not Chen's "provocation", but Washington's policy stance, which leads Beijing to calculate that America will stand aside and let the People's Liberation Army have its way. 

Jay Loo
International Assessment and Strategy Center
Lansdale, PA

Drawing the Lines 

There is a great deal to recommend in James Bennett's "Dreaming Europe in a Wide-Awake World" (Winter 2005/05). His description of the emerging "Anglosphere-plus-India-plus-Japan" alignment is borne out by the recent announcement by President Bush that a "core group", composed of America, Australia, India and Japan, would take the lead in aiding the victims of the massive December 2004 tsunami. The rivalry between this alignment on the one hand and what he describes as the nascent Euro-Islamic-Chinese bloc on the other is likely to be crystallized when, as seems increasingly likely, the EU decides to sell arms to China. Bennett doesn't discuss this probability in his too brief article, but when it occurs, the Atlantic will further widen and the world will look like a very different place. 

Fred Siegel
Cooper Union
New York, NY

 

Essay Types: Essay