May 2018

Taiwan Civil Government Proves A Peculiarly Taiwanese Example Of Conspiracy Theories Found Worldwide

Brian Hioe
Reports that the Taiwan Civil Government is being investigated for fraud and scam activity may surprise few. However, it seems unlikely that the underlying ideology of the group will go away anytime soon. After all, vaguely similar conspiracy theories exist all over the world, but the underlying ideology of the Taiwan Civil Government would be one uniquely a product of Taiwan’s unusual geopolitical situation...
EnglishMay 2018Politics11 min read

North Korea Threatens To Call Off Talks With US Over John Bolton

Brian Hioe
News that North Korea has cancelled planned talks with South Korea should be nothing surprising for those skeptical that peace had been achieved on the Korean Peninsula following a meeting between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. North Korea now also threatens to call off talks with the US, specifically raising issue with comments by American National Security Advisor John Bolton...
EnglishInternationalMay 2018Regional Tensions6 min read

Are Pro-Unification Versus Pro-Independence Politics Behind The Formosa TV Fee Dispute?

Brian Hioe
A fee dispute between some of Taiwan’s most significant television networks has touched upon long-standing concerns about undue attempts to influence political developments through the media. Namely, television network Formosa TV has alleged that FoxConn CEO Terry Gou is attempting to use the fee dispute to prevent Formosa TV programs from being shown as a form of political censorship...
EnglishMay 2018Politics6 min read

Gaza Massacre Has Lessons For Taiwan

Brian Hioe
Images of the killing of Palestinians on the Israel-Gaza border during protests against the American Embassy relocation to Jerusalem have been shocking for many in Taiwan. However, instead of looking at this tragic set of events merely as a tragedy in a distant, faraway land, perhaps there are lessons from this to be drawn for Taiwan and connections to be drawn between Taiwan's own struggles and Palestine's plight...
America and the Asia PacificEnglishInternationalMay 20185 min read

Trump-Kim Meeting Increasingly Uncertain After America Withdraws From Iran Nuclear Deal

Brian Hioe
A great deal of uncertainty would seem to be ahead for the planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and American president Donald Trump, which is scheduled to take place on June 12th in Singapore. This is particularly seeing as Trump has decided abruptly to withdraw from a nuclear deal with Iran that lifted long-standing economic sanctions on Iran in 2015 in return for Iran dismantling aspects of its nuclear weapons program...
EnglishInternationalMay 2018Regional Tensions6 min read