[nosofar]

I guess Taiwan should be a democracy, but not THAT much of a democracy. Maybe Munro can now write a new book: "The Coming Conflict with Taiwan." Should be a real hair-raiser...

That's one of the problem our government seems to have. We claim to be in favor of a country being a democracy, but we get irritated when they act like one.

[Steel Wolf]

We have every right to be irritated. Post #3 hit the nail on the head. We're already knee deep in Islamic militants, and we still have a considerable ammount of work ahead of us. The last thing we need is for Taiwan to agitate China, and then run behind our skirt.

If China starts anything with Taiwan, we'll stomp them out of the water so hard they'll be afraid to go out and fish. That doesn't mean Taiwan should have free reign to cause mischief. It is an abuse of our friendship and trust. We've gone out on a considerable limb to back them up over the years, we could have abandoned them to the wolves long ago if we didn't value their de facto liberty.

No, it's not the perfect solution, but we can only do so much. We don't need them starting a needless barfight and then guilting us into finishing it.

[Map Kernow]

Indeed. The ChiComs, dipped in human blood like strawberries are dipped in chocolate, are p!ssed because the Taiwanese might vote in a referendum asking them to kindly remove all those missiles the ChiComs have been putting in Fukien Province across the Straits the past few years. We damn near nuked the world over missiles in Cuba in 1962. So now the Taiwanese can't even have a peaceful election on the subject?

I have to laugh at claims that placating the ChiComs is in our strategic interest. Getting ready to confront the ChiComs is in our strategic interest. They are not our friend. Taiwan is our friend. The ChiComs are our enemy, and they'll be our enemy long after al-Qa'eda and the other Islamists are crushed.