America and the Asia Pacific

Should Taiwan Celebrate Bolton and Navarro Appointments While The Rest Of The World Recoils In Terror?

The return to power of John Bolton and Peter Navarro in the Trump administration, after a period in which both were relegated to lesser roles in favor of other political actors, have been celebrated by some in Taiwan. But such appointments are signs of the incoherence and irrational hawkishness of the Trump Administration much more than they are indications of any more supportive policy of Taiwan...

Tillerson Ouster Sign That Hawkish, Protectionist Wing Of Trump Administration Is Again Ascendant

With the replacement of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, head of the CIA, it appears that the protectionist wing of the Trump administration is again ascendent. As such, fears prevail that individuals within the Trump administration viewed as stabilizing of it will similarly depart the Trump administration in the near future...

Misunderstandings Abound Regarding Taiwan Travel Act

The passage of the Taiwan Travel Act has been hailed as a triumph by pro-Taiwan groups in the US as representing a step forward in advancing US-Taiwan relations. On the other hand, media coverage of the passage of the Taiwan Travel Act by western media has oftentimes acted as though the move is dangerously provocative of China. Both polarized positions may miss part of the point...

Olympics Reactions Point To Trump Administration’s Refusal To Back Away From Brinkmanship

While it should not be surprising that while both North Korea and South Korea hope to avoid a war which would be costly for both sides, members of the Trump administration initially remained more interested in brinkmanship and making threats against perceived threats. This has been visible in the Pyeongchang Olympics...

Flattery During Asia Trip Shows That Asian Pacific Countries Hope To Pacify Trump’s Unpredictability

Donald Trump's recently concluded Asia trip was the site of much bizarre spectacle and pageantry, with Asia Pacific leaders going out of their way to tickle Trump’s ego. This illustrates that Asia Pacific leaders hope to keep Trump pacified through flattery, even when they could otherwise benefit from an American loss of face on the world stage...

Comments by AIT Chair Point To America’s Contradictory Stance On Taiwan

Recent comments by AIT chair James Moriarty earlier this month are, unsurprisingly, illustrative of American hypocrisy regarding Taiwan. In recent comments made around the time of ROC National Day, Moriarty called on Taiwan to continue to maintain the status quo with China, praised the Tsai administration for continuing to maintain cross-strait relations, and also called on Taiwan to do more for its defense, all the while affirming continued friendship between Taiwan and America. Never mind these are things which are mutually contradictory...