Just saw the article in Taipei Times today about this. Two Republicans in the House of Respresentatives sending a resolution to Dubya asking him to request that Taiwan send marines to help with the cause in Iraq.
And then I see a PFP legislator on TV railing on indignantly about this prospect.
I have to say, I was a bit surprised that this issue (Taiwan sending troops) was even brought up. Is this situation as straight-forward as the US simply requesting help from its allies? Or is there some sort of directed political maneuvering behind this whole thing? Afterall, the two that brought up this resolution are “pro-Taiwan.” Of course, this is just a proposed resolution at this point, and the White House has not actually made any requests (if it will ever), but I can guess what the Taiwanese public’s response would be. I’m curious what CSB’s response would be.
This is just playing politics to raise the Taiwan issue. The article says two pro-Taiwan congressmen have sent a resolution to Bush asking him to request Taiwanese marines. It doesn’t say anything about Bush asking for help.
Bush couldn’t ask for Taiwanese troops even if he wanted to. This would mean either:
A: asking for an entity that the US doesn’t recognise as a state for military help. Generally only states are recognised as having the right to use force in national or international affairs so any country that does not officially recognise Taiwan, by implication does not officially recognise its right to have armed forces, still less use them overseas. Kind of like asking the IRA (a non-state actor with illegitimate - according to state theory - armed forces) to give a hand in Iraq.
or
B: recognising Taiwan as a state and thus a legitimate source of military aid.
So of course the Taiwanese government will be quite happy about all this because it underlines Taiwan’s exclusion from world affairs with no risk of spilling Taiwanese blood in some foriegn field in an unholy war of someone else’s making.
Yes well, local media never lets the facts get in the way of a good story eh? I think the whole thing is a setup to get the pan-blue nutcases all wound up (see Luo Ta-You cut up his US passport for the cameras?) and then just pull the rug out from underneath them.
Taiwan is in essence rewarding Dumbya for sucking Hu Jintao’s dick for 3 years.[/quote]
i doubt this is really going to happen, but if it does, it’ll be taiwan rewarding bush because he didn’t suck as hard as every other major world leader out there the last 20 years. including clinton and bush sr.
jj, name 1 world leader today who is more pro-taiwan than bush. just 1.
What station do you guys watch? I didn’t see anything of that sort. Are you sure she didn’t misunderstand?
I don’t think that the “coalition” of the US and Britain would allow ROC troops, much less would the PRC.
It is a creative suggestion by the two US lawmakers, though.
[quote=“Flipper”][quote=“jj_frap”]I disagree with this decision.
Taiwan is in essence rewarding Dumbya for sucking Hu Jintao’s dick for 3 years.[/quote]
I doubt this is really going to happen, but if it does, it’ll be taiwan rewarding Bush because he didn’t suck as hard as every other major world leader out there the last 20 years. including Clinton and Bush sr.
jj, name 1 world leader today who is more pro-taiwan than Bush. just 1.[/quote]
The Pope . Vatican City is the only “nation” in Europe to recognize the RoC.
Of course theres also whoever happens to be president of Vanatua or whatever other small Pacific island nations happen to recognize the RoC over the PRC.
[quote] Nadine Leavitt Siak, AIT information officer, said in an interview that the United States has never and will never ask Taiwan to send troops to Iraq.
– CNA[/quote]
I wonder what would happen if Taiwan, as a member of the willing, did send 5,000 troops. They would have to be sacrificial lambs, of course, and the deaths of some of them would have to be paid for the greater international profile and future guanhsi that Taiwan would get. Not only that, just being there opens the question of Taiwan’s sovereign status and its future relations with other coalition members.
